What Goes Around, Comes Around
by flutegirl.anita
Summary: A perfect night is marred by the cruelness of youth. Buck seeks solitude from Rock Creek and its people in order to find his place in the world.
1. Part I -What Goes Around

**A/N: I know I have a few chapter stories out there to finish and I promise I will finish them. I got hit with this bunny in December and have been writing it for a while...so far it has twelve chapters in various states of completion and I think it is finally in shape to share with you all. This takes place after the Express is over. **

* * *

**Part One: What Goes Around**

**Chapter One**

Buck re-tied his string tie for the fourth time. He could not get it to look straight. Hazel Franklin would be at the Holiday Dance tonight and he wanted to look his best. She was very pretty and had long blonde wavy hair, sparkling green eyes, and ample curves in all the right places. Buck had noticed Hazel when they first moved to Rock Creek. The second day they were all there, he and Ike had gone to the bank to open accounts. She had sashayed from behind the teller's window with her bright flirtatious smile and took it upon herself to get them started with the paperwork. Buck had felt immediately tongue tied and nervous. She was the loveliest creature he had ever seen.

Ike had laughed at him that day and Buck had buried his feelings deep. She would never have eyes for a man like him. It was probably for the best. There were things about Hazel that were just a little too close to another woman Buck had foolishly lost his heart to. Like Kathleen Devlin, Hazel was the daughter of the town banker. The two even looked sort of similar in build and description right down sway of their hips to the golden bouncy hair. Hazel had the same rebellious streak when it came to her parents that Kathleen possessed. She seemed to take delight in exasperating her father and scandalizing her mother. It was probably best if he stayed away. The last thing he wanted was to become another pawn in a parent/daughter power play.

Buck untied his tie and pulled it from his neck. He wasn't going. He didn't feel much like celebrating anyway. Ike was gone, Noah was gone, Cody joined the army, the Pony Express was closed, and Kid and Lou practically had their own place. They lived with Rachel now, but come spring they would build their house and move out to a little farm just outside of town. Jimmy, Teaspoon, and Rachel were still in Rock Creek doing much the same things they were doing before. Buck did not really have any direction for his life. He still worked for Russell, Majors, and Waddell. He managed the horses for stagecoaches and freight deliveries. The work was just that, work. He didn't find much joy in it. He rarely had a chance to just ride through the open prairies. He missed it.

Buck shared the bunkhouse with Jimmy. Jimmy worked as Teaspoon's deputy and mostly worked at night. Jimmy and Buck's working hours were almost opposite of each other's so they barely saw each other. Kid and Lou were taking any and every odd job they could find around town to save up money for their farm. They hardly saw each other let alone anyone else. Rachel still taught school and held a Sunday supper every week. It seemed to be the only time the riders ever saw each other anymore. This place that held so many memories in its walls was becoming oppressive in its loneliness. Buck laid his suit coat on his trunk and started to unbutton his crisp white shirt.

There was a knock on the door and Buck went to open it up. Kid and Lou were on the other side all dressed up and happy. Buck let them in.

"Why aren't you ready yet?" Lou asked frowning.

"I'm not going," Buck answered unbuttoning the cuffs on his shirt.

"Not going?" Lou repeated. "Buck you have to go."

"He doesn't have to do anything, Lou," Kid said jumping to Buck's defense. "But we would both love it if you did."

"What's the point?" Buck asked. "There has never been anything for me at a town social or dance."

"Buck, that's not so," Lou argued. "Why, just this morning Hazel Franklin asked me if you would be there."

"She did?" Buck asked surprised.

"Yes, she did," Lou answered, "and I assured her that you would."

Buck let a grin spread across his face as he thought of Hazel Franklin and her bouncy blonde hair.

"Come on, Buck," Kid encouraged with a light slap on the shoulder. "You never know, you might just have fun after all."

"Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be ready," Buck said relenting. Perhaps it would be fun and maybe, just maybe he might even get to dance with Hazel.

Buck finished getting ready except for the string tie. "Lou can you help me with this tie?" he asked.

"Sure, Buck," Lou said with a smile.

"So, Hazel really asked about me?" Buck asked curiously.

"Yes, she did," Lou answered with an excited smile. "She was really pleased to find out that you planned to go to the dance."

Buck's smile grew and his face flushed as Lou worked on getting his tie to look perfect.

"You could do a lot worse than Hazel Franklin," Kid added.

The door opened startling the three friends. "Ain't you guys ready yet?" Jimmy asked looking dapper in his best dark jacket and trousers.

"We're almost ready," Lou answered for the group. "Are Rachel and Teaspoon ready?"

"They already left," Jimmy answered. "We're supposed to meet them there."

"What do you think, Kid?" Lou asked as she started playing with Buck's hair. "Down or up?"

"Oh who cares," Jimmy said exasperated. "Let's just go!"

"We have to make sure Buck looks his best for Hazel," Lou admonished. "Now down or up?"

"Hazel Franklin?" Jimmy asked. "Buck, you've been holding out on me."

"I have not," Buck said. "Lou just told me she's been asking about me."

"I've seen her watching you," Jimmy recalled. "She's been following you around with her eyes all week."

Buck swallowed hard. "Really?"

"It's starting to get late," Lou said. "Jimmy was right, we should go."

"Come on, Romeo," Kid said with a laugh. "Let's get you to your Juliet."

"Very funny," Buck said straightening his suit coat and giving himself one last inspection in the mirror. He smoothed out his hair and gave it a slight tousle, placed his hat on his head, and headed out the door.

* * *

The dance hall was decked with holiday decorations and there was eggnog in the punch bowl. Buck looked around the room and found Teaspoon and Rachel. Kid and Lou had found them already and Lou and Rachel were busy looking at each other's dresses. Buck glanced around the room as he walked over to his friends and found Hazel staring at him with a 'come hither' look. Her delightful green eyes beckoned him to come closer with each subtle blink and he felt immediately nervous.

"Why don't you ask her to dance, Buck?" Lou whispered.

Buck felt several hands give him a little push over toward Hazel, but he couldn't do it, not yet. He needed to build up the courage first. He turned to face his friends and gave them a pleading face.

"Don't look now," Kid coughed and averted his eyes as Jimmy and Lou looked away.

Buck's eyes grew wide as Rachel put her hand to her mouth to hide and laugh.

"Son…," Teaspoon said bobbing his head back to indicate the presence Buck was both anticipating and dreading.

Buck slowly turned and blushed. Standing before him was the woman he spent the whole day thinking about.

"Mr. Cross, I hope you don't think it too forward of me," Hazel said sweetly, "But, would you like to dance with me?"

"I…" Buck started. This night seemed too good to be true. "Yeah."

He smiled and Hazel smiled back. Buck put out his arm and Hazel tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. He led her out to the dance floor and decided it best not to look around at any of the faces in the crowd. He was sure there were people out there that were angry or offended that he would be dancing with a white girl, but he also knew his friends and family would be sporting smiles and other looks of encouragement. Instead, he gazed on the delightful face of Hazel Franklin as she looked into his eyes.

At the conclusion of the dance, Buck was feeling rather warm and he caught the sight of Hazel fanning herself as well. "Would you like to take the air with me?" he asked shyly.

"I thought you'd never ask," Hazel said with a flirtatious smile.

As soon as Buck stepped out from the crowded dance hall, he felt something was off. He looked over at the smiling Hazel and decided his mind was playing tricks on him. She looked so beautiful tonight and he must be feeling unworthy. Rachel and the others were always chastising him for feeling like he didn't deserve happiness, but Buck had a hard time trusting that anything good would ever happen to him. The times that good things did come to him, those things were fleeting or were just deceptions. He took a deep cleansing breath and decided to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment. It was all he had right now.

Hazel pulled him further away from the dance hall and closer to the livery stable. Buck felt his stomach tighten. He hadn't been in this sort of situation in a long while. She turned and looked up at him. Mischief sparkled in her pretty green eyes and Buck couldn't help but smile back. She dropped her hand from his arm, turned from him, and started to walk toward the livery stable. She stopped suddenly and looked coyly over her shoulder. The look she gave Buck nearly elicited a primal growl from him. In that moment he had never wanted another human being as much as he wanted her. She giggled and started to run away from him, but the looks she sent over her shoulder begged him to chase her. Her lips were pleading for his kisses and her big green eyes told him that she had him halfway out of his jacket and shirt in her mind. He stood in place trying desperately to get his feet to move forward, but all he could do was watch her. She stopped at the door to the livery stable and opened the door a crack. As she slipped her body part way through the door she stopped and bit her lip flirtatiously.

"Come get me, Buck," she giggled and then blew him a kiss.

Buck swallowed hard and let an aroused grin permeate his features. He looked around at the deserted streets and took a tentative step to the stable. With his confidence bolstered by the forward momentum, his steps began to quicken until he was joyfully running to the stable door. His mind cataloged the different noises coming from the livery, but it was too distracted to process what lurked behind the door. All he could think about was Hazel and her delightful invitation.

His head screamed at him to listen and to know that no good could come from opening the door. It recognized from the creaking boards in the hay loft that there was more than just Hazel in that barn. The slight chemical smell should have stopped him in his tracks, but it didn't. His want of love and acceptance willfully blinded him as he burst through the door on his quest for the lovely Hazel Franklin's affections.

The reality of Buck's situation began to crash upon him as he felt the first can of paint splash on him from above. He looked down to see red paint dripping from his hair staining his best jacket and crisp white shirt. Next, a splash of yellow hit him, which seemed to catch mostly the right side of his jacket. Buck stood there stunned and could do little when he heard footfalls in a run behind him. He turned just in time to be hit with green and blue paint. The splatter from those last two colors kept itself mostly to his favorite pair of buckskin pants and his boots.

Buck turned back to search for Hazel. He wanted to see her sympathetic face and longed to see her horrified and angry on his behalf. In looking for comfort in her eyes he just let the inevitable take its course. The sound of cloth ripping failed to inform him of the gentle, almost serene, cascade of white pillow feathers that gently landed on his paint soaked hair and clothes. It was through the curtain of white that he finally found Hazel. She was giggling and pointing at him with her arm hooked into the elbow of a young man with a can of yellow paint at his side.

"Mr. Tompkins was right," said the young man. "Paint and feathers are the best way to keep an Indian in his place."

Buck thought he heard some excited yelling behind him and turned to see all the dance attendees spill out onto the street. His humiliation was complete. The whole town was watching him and the laughter was unbearable. His friends, Teaspoon, Rachel, Jimmy, Kid and Lou, were the only ones not laughing at him. The final blow was when he heard Hazel speak.

"I told you I could get him here," she said to the young man. "You owe me a dance, Mason. I need to save my reputation and I think you are just the man to do it. To think, some people actually thought I liked him."

The nod she gave to Buck as she disparaged him on her way back to the dance hall was the final straw. Hazel had tricked him. He was foolish to think maybe she really liked him. Buck felt so humiliated. He couldn't stay here right now. Rock Creek had given him nothing but pain. Buck just wanted to disappear for a while. This was much worse than the last time. Last time he managed to sneak back to the station and only Ike and Teaspoon knew what happened. This happened and the whole damn town knew about it. The only people that didn't laugh were his friends. He stomped off to the barn. He would get himself cleaned up and then he would leave.

* * *

Buck splashed the steamy hot water onto his face. This was the second time in his life he had been covered in paint and feathers, both connected to his liking a girl. Buck angrily tossed a soiled towel across the barn.

"Come to the dance, they said," Buck grumbled. "You'll have fun, they said. That Hazel Franklin has been making eyes at you, they said. Well, that's the last time I listen to my so called friends."

Buck's best suit jacket was ruined. There was no way he would get all the yellow paint off of it. His favorite buckskin pants were stained with green and blue paint as well as flecks of other colors. His white shirt…well there was no hope in it remaining so. Maybe Rachel could dye it for him. At this point, he would just settle for getting the red paint out of his hair and the splatter off his boots.

There was a knock on the barn door, and Teaspoon walked in. "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm just so tired of it all, Teaspoon," Buck answered angrily throwing his suit jacket across the room. "I'm a grown man, but somehow people still think doing this to me is funny."

"I know, Son," Teaspoon said.

"I need to get out of here for a few days, maybe longer," Buck said. "I just can't stay here right now."

"But, Buck, it's a week from Christmas," Teaspoon reminded him. "Rachel has been looking forward to the holiday this year. Cody should even be back."

"It has been well over a month since I've ridden anywhere, Teaspoon," Buck complained. "I won't be gone forever, but I just need to be out riding on a horse. Nothing else makes any sense to me."

Teaspoon sighed. "I guess I can't fault you for that," he said resigned. He looked back up and Buck could see the fear in his eyes and hear the hitch in his voice. "Please come back, Buck. I don't know how Rachel would take it if you left us for good. I don't know how I would take it either. You're my family and family sticks together."

Buck nodded as the beginnings of tears stung his eyes and went back to cleaning the paint from his body and clothes. "I won't leave till morning," he said turning away and leaning over the basin. He waited until he heard Teaspoon leave before splashing more warm water on his face.

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**A/N: I couldn't have done this story without some help. I thought, like you do, that this was a lot shorter than it has turned out to be and by the time I realized it, I was thousands of words into it. Parsing it out into chapters was a difficult thing to do. I must thank Beulah, Gert, Hortense, and Myrtle for helping me chop this story up into viable chapters and for their unrelenting eyes for detail that helped me expand some of the sections. I must especially thank Beulah for her commitment to this story and helping me keep my matches from exploding all over the place. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Buck was up early in the morning. None of the riders or Rachel said anything to him about his decision to leave and Buck was glad about that. He told them last night after the dance was over. They were all waiting for him in the bunkhouse. Their looks of concern and pity solidified his feelings of flight. He didn't like seeing those looks on their faces and the sooner he got away from them, the better he would feel. They mercifully did not try to convince him to stay. He did not like justifying his decisions to others even if they meant well. He needed some time to think and figure out what he wanted out of his life and where he wanted to be. They seemed to know that and respect it.

An early trip into town had Buck gritting his teeth the whole time. As he went about his business picking up some odds and ends for his trip, he endured once more the cruelty of the townsfolk. Every store and shop he entered or walked near, he was greeted with snickers. It was almost enough to make him want to never return to civilization. He would always be scorned and no amount of time away would ever change it.

Buck made judicious time saddling and packing his horse. Jimmy stayed in the barn while he made his final preparations. All the while he said nothing, just offered unspoken support as he quietly did the chores. The two of them always had that sort of understanding between them. Jimmy understood what it was like for Buck almost as well as Ike had. For that, Buck would always think of Jimmy as a brother more so than any of the other remaining riders.

Buck looked out the barn door unto the vast emptiness of the barren winter prairie. He could not wait until he could feel the freedom of the wind on his face even if it was ice cold. He knew where he would spend his first night away. While it was tempting to camp out under the stars, it would be smarter to stay indoors. Old man Murphy's cabin was still standing and would provide good shelter for the night. It would take him nearly all day to reach it and Buck was glad for the time in the saddle.

The wind seemed to slice right through him as he rode, but the feelings of freedom far outweighed the discomfort of cold. The quiet sun on his face gave him more assurance and made the cold seem like a distant memory. There was so much in nature he had ignored since leaving the Kiowa. Maybe he had been living amongst the white man too long. This journey he was setting out on was to reset himself. It was to get him back in touch with himself and his relationship to nature. He let Trickster have his head and run for a while and he would slow down to watch the play of young deer testing out their antler racks against each other. A small pack of gray wolves frolicked in the afternoon sun when Buck began to near the cabin. The older wolves rested in the shelter of a tree while the younger wolves played what seemed like an elaborate game of tag.

At the end of a long day of riding and contemplation, Buck came across the cabin he sought. The place was just as he remembered it. There was a small amount of firewood stacked by the door, but there was a fallen tree next to the stable that could be chopped if Buck could find an ax. Buck settled Trickster inside the rickety stable that was little more than a lean to and took his other things inside the cabin. He thought perhaps he had made a correct decision to only spend a few days here. He really didn't want to get too comfortable here. It was too close to Rock Creek. He looked around the room. There was an ax by the door and Buck smiled. He picked it up and frowned. The blade was kind of dull, but then he remembered there was a sharpening stone in the lean to. Buck set to work. The sky was warning him snowy weather was near and he wanted to be cozy inside before the storm hit.

Buck adjusted his coat for ease of movement and made sure his gloves were on tight. He brought the ax over his head and let it fall onto the downed tree. Every time the ax connected with the wood of the tree, Buck felt a little better. It was nice to do some constructive violence. It would do no good to confront Hazel and her friends and tell them of his anger and hurt. His humiliation was their goal and they cared nothing for his feelings. He felt the shock of each hit of the ax and it bolstered his feelings of righteous indignation. He started thinking of each person who had dumped paint and split a piece of wood in their honor imagining it was them.

After he worked out his frustrations about the people of Rock Creek, he turned his wrath on himself. How could he have been so stupid? How come he didn't see this coming? He should have. He should have been prepared. He should never have cared. When he realized his eyes were tracing Hazel's curves, he should have averted his eyes. She was the banker's daughter. That should have been his first clue to stay away, but he did not. In many ways Hazel was worse than Kathleen. Kathleen didn't plan to humiliate him in front of the whole town. She just used him to manipulate her father. As far as Buck knew that was not Hazel's aim. It didn't matter. He was sure he hated her more than he had ever hated anyone before. She toyed with his emotions and for that Buck would never forgive her.

After thoroughly exhausting himself chopping wood, Buck settled into the cabin for the night. He had a small but warm fire in the fireplace and some hot coffee in his coffee pot. His bedroll was laid out on the dusty bed and he finally felt somewhat at peace. Buck liked being away from the judgment and scrutiny of the people of Rock Creek. Out here there was no one to scorn him or laugh at him.

* * *

Buck wasn't sure what woke him, but when his eyes popped open he heard his horse, Trickster, whinny. The sun wasn't quite up yet, but a quick check out the window had revealed nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't trust his instincts anymore so he pulled on his clothes and boots and walked the perimeter of the cabin. There was an almost unnatural stillness in the air as Buck looked around and calmed Trickster in the makeshift lean to stable. He took extra care in his search until he was satisfied that nothing was amiss. His lack of vigilance at the dance would be a lesson he would carry always. He would never make that mistake again.

When the sun finally came up, the rest of the morning was more relaxing. After a simple breakfast of dried fruit and Rachel's famous muffins, Buck mostly prayed and meditated. He wanted to find his place in this world. He thought he had and now he was not so sure. Perhaps having a real family was something he would not be allowed to have. He was grateful for the love and affection from Teaspoon, Rachel and the riders, but he didn't know if it was valuable enough to him to endure the coldness of the rest of the town. As he came out of his final morning prayer, the cabin started looking different to Buck. It seemed to have more in it than he initially thought.

The quiet isolation of the cabin appealed to Buck. He began to wonder if this was his place. It was far enough from Rock Creek that he wouldn't have to deal with its people, but close enough that he could still keep in touch with the people he regarded as family. It was also very close to the immersion with nature that he had sought. It was almost like him, in that it seemed to straddle the same two worlds he did. The nearby woods would provide game to hunt and plenty of wild plants to eat and make medicines from. There was a stream in those woods that was unspoiled by the industry of man. The clear water would nourish him and any livestock or crops he would raise. In the spring, he could clear a patch in the eastern side of the house and plant a vegetable garden. The thoughts of living in this cabin brought him much needed peace.

The cabin needed a bit of repair, but nothing he couldn't do himself. Buck looked around at the state of the cabin interior and its furnishings. It was a one room cabin with a solidly built hearth. The fireplace heated the room nicely without having the keep the fire large. The panes of the two windows were miraculously unbroken, but the curtains were very tattered and unable to keep out light or the very occasional prying eyes. The furnishings were sparse but adequate for the cabin's size. As he found out the bed was sturdy, but lumpy. He would need to re-stuff the mattress if he hoped to get a decent night's sleep. The table was heavy and solid. It would do for working and eating. The chairs would need to be repaired. They were in pretty bad shape. The cross braces were weak or broken and the seat of one of the chairs was broken in half. Buck decided that cleaning out the cabin of all debris and fixing the chairs would be his first order of business.

As evening rolled around, Buck found himself exhausted. The cabin started to look much better and the chairs were now usable. Buck made some food and let feelings of contentment flow through him. He mopped up the last of his plate of baked beans with a biscuit Rachel had sent with him. He thought of all the things he would miss if he left, Rachel's biscuits would be high on the list. Buck felt a feeling of resolve wash through him. This was going to be the best way. He realized he couldn't be far away from his family and he couldn't be close to a town. This place was perfect. He could live in peace and harmony here.

He was just settling into his bedroll, when he heard Trickster whinny nervously. Buck wondered if the wolf pack he had seen on his way to the cabin was close. It would explain the unease in Trickster's voice. The wind was starting to blow the branches of the nearby tree against the window. He decided it must be the weather and not an animal that was making his horse nervous. Trickster whinnied yet again and Buck thought it would be better to check on him to make sure he was alright. Buck reluctantly put his boots and coat on and went to the door. As he opened the door, Buck came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

* * *

**A/N: Again I have to thank the Ladies on the plus for their love and support. We've built up quite the nice supportive community of writer's over the near couple of years we've been posting. We're not a clique, not really...we all met here over the love of tv show. We are open and accepting and always adopting new writers and old to our circle of friends. I feel lucky and blessed to have you all in my life. We have become old friends in such a short time.**

**I hope to have some chapters of my other stories up soon. Dark Dreams is a priority as it is nearing its conclusion. I'm still taking notes and working on a timeline for Nemesis. I may need another NaNoWriMo or two or three for that story. Better Fate Than Never has a new chapter started. All I need is some good old fashioned writing time and a clear head. Lots has been happening in my life as of late. I work freelance so I either have all the time in the world or no time at all. **

**Thank you all for reading, especially the new readers. It is always fun to see new people reading our stuff and keeping this show and it's characters alive. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Howdy," a man said from the darkness. His voice was cold and cruel.

Buck raised his hands and slowly backed away from the door. He was completely unprepared to defend himself and could do nothing else.

The man walked into the light from the fireplace and Buck took his measure. His build was stocky and strong and Buck could tell by the man's level of agitation that he was spoiling for a fight. His eyes were beady but they moved all around the room, observing everything. Buck weighed his option and quickly decided he would not really have an advantage in a wrestling match at this point. The man outweighed him by a good forty pounds or so. He was dressed for the weather with a heavy coat and a ratty scarf, but that did not seem to restrict his movements. The man pulled the gun from Buck's holster and tucked it into the waistband of his worn trousers.

"Leon!" the man called. "Bring her in here and help me tie this breed up."

"Sure thing, Hank," Leon said as he came through the door. He escorted a smiling and self satisfied woman through the door. Buck groaned as soon as he saw her.

"Take his knife," Hank ordered Leon. "Tie him up."

Buck took a second to reassess the situation. For the life of him, he could not figure out what she was doing with this pair of rough men.

"Hazel?" Buck whispered.

"Oh hello, Buck," she said flirtatiously. "We just robbed my daddy's bank. I was the hostage."

Buck stared at her for a couple of seconds trying to understand what was happening. He tilted his head acerbically. "Are you still?" he asked knowing but at the same time dreading the answer. She was way too calm and happy to be anything but an accomplice.

"No, don't be silly," Hazel replied hitting him on the arm with the back of her hand. "I don't need to pretend anymore. I bet there's money in it if you want to help them escape and get me back to town."

Buck couldn't help but glare at her. She was excited by what she had done and Buck was disgusted. "Why should I help you?" he asked bitterly. "I'm still trying to get the paint and feathers out of my hair."

Hazel laughed. "That was just a bit of fun," she said downplaying the prank's effect. "Can't you take a joke?"

Buck just stared at her incredulously. "You think humiliating someone is fun?" he asked angrily.

Hazel bit her bottom lip and shrugged uncertainly. Buck almost thought she was sorry or maybe he was just reading her discomfort with being confronted as remorse.

"Maybe you would think it was fun if I just shaved your head, covered you in honey, and left you trussed up next to an ant hill," Buck said angrily. "I think _that_ would be fun."

Hazel's smile turned to a sickly frown and she looked away from him in what Buck could only imagine was an attempt to get that thought out of her head.

Leon brought a bit of rope over and started to tie Buck's hands in front of him. He winced as the rope cut into his wrists.

Buck watched as Hank walked up behind Hazel and put his arm around her. "I think we should celebrate, what you think?" he asked. One of his hands started to explore her curves and Buck could see Hazel become uncomfortable. "I want to collect on what's owed."

Hazel slapped Hank's hand away nervously. "I don't think so," she said. "That wasn't part of our deal."

Leon pushed Buck to the floor and started binding his ankles together. Buck leaned up against the wall and tried to keep his wits about him. This was not how he was planning to spend his time away from Rock Creek. He had gone to sleep in such a positive frame of mind. He was feeling hopeful for the future. He had thought he could stay in this cabin and try it out and see if it would give him the space he needed. Well, obviously it wasn't working out like he thought it would. He was gone for one day, one day and already she was here. This place wasn't far enough away from town as it turned out. He was beginning to think that nowhere would be far enough away. Buck tried to keep his anger in check. He would need to stay alert in order to keep himself alive. The last thing he needed was to be distracted by Hazel Franklin.

Buck looked at the way both of the men were eyeing Hazel and wondered if she had grievously misjudged the men in her company and her role in this caper. Buck tried not to overanalyze the situation. He did not want to become involved. He did not want to have to save her, besides she only had herself to blame. He wanted nothing to do with this whole mess, but as their captive he had a ringside seat to Hazel's undoing. If things took a turn he didn't think he could sit idly by and watch her be violated. He would never be able to live with himself. The thought of being forced by his conscience to come to her aid drove Buck crazy. What he needed instead was to convince Hazel to free him and let him take her back to town. She would face the consequences of her actions and Buck was actually looking forward to seeing that.

"What are we going to do with the breed?" Hank asked. "I say we kill him."

"No," Hazel said and Buck could see she was trying to be authoritative, but her voice gave away her fear. "We will do nothing of the sort."

"We can't leave him here," Leon rationalized. "I've heard he's a tracker. He'll lead any posse right to us."

"Well, then, we can take him with us," Hazel decided.

Buck could see the struggle in Hazel's eyes and knew she was in over her head. While she was not above humiliating him; he took some small comfort in her drawing the line at murder. A part of him even wanted to feel sorry for her. Right now she was his only hope for staying alive. Being beholden to Hazel did not sit well with Buck but he would have to reconcile himself with it for the time being.

Buck looked out the window. Snow was now falling quite heavily. If there was a posse out after these guys there would be no way to track them now. They would be easy to track if they left this cabin after the storm. Buck needed to be vigilant. He could not afford to let Hazel do anything stupid. His life depended on it.

Leon opened a bottle of whiskey from his saddle bag and started to drink. His eyes regarded Hazel lustfully and Buck thought perhaps he was the only one who took notice. Leon started to pace as he drank. He had the look of someone who was trying desperately to figure out what everyone else already knew. The combination of the two men's actions had Hazel moving instinctually closer to Buck.

"Leon, I'm checkin' the horses," Hank said as he licked his lips. He stole the bottle from Leon and took a drink before giving it back. "You better leave some for me." He leered at Hazel, a dirty promise glinting in his eye.

Buck started to feel sick. "Untie me," he whispered to Hazel.

Hazel scowled and shook her head 'no.'

"Hazel, if you don't, these men are going to hurt you and I won't be able to stop them," Buck implored.

"Nonsense, Buck," Hazel said. "These men need me."

Buck banged the back of his head back against the wall in frustration. He could only help Hazel if she realized how much danger she was in. This was one of those times that Buck questioned why he cared, but he knew why. No one deserved to be hurt the way his mother was hurt even if they were being incredibly stupid. At least his hands were bound in front of him. He might be able to help Hazel if Hank made a move on her. He was, however, more likely to sustain injury himself.

Hazel did not make any sense to Buck right now. Why in the world would she rob her father's bank? Why would she go in with these shady characters at all? Buck did not know Hazel well, but she did seem like she should be a whole lot smarter and less self destructive than this. There had to be something going on that he did not know.

"Why?" Buck asked quietly. "Why do they need you?"

Both Buck and Hazel's heads snapped as they heard the whiskey bottle break. Leon had thrown it into a corner after he had emptied it. Hazel shuddered as Leon wiped his hands on his shirt and gave her a predatory look.

"Now, girlie it's time for you to do what I want," Leon slurred, "Just like you promised."

Hazel gasped and recoiled as Leon moved closer to her. Buck struggled against his bonds as Leon drew nearer to her. Hazel stiffened as Leon put his hand under her chin and turned her to face him. He licked his lips in be anticipation. Drawing a deep breath through his nose, Leon inhaled Hazel's scent and started backing her into the wall. Hazel trembled and her eyes started to dart wildly as if trying to find a way out of her situation as Leon closed in. Buck felt the sting of the ropes as he struggled in earnest. Hazel inhaled and was about to let out a scream, but instead she squeaked just as Leon fell to the floor at her feet, snoring loudly.

"Untie me," Buck insisted. "I doubt the other man has intentions that are different than this one's."

Hazel was in complete shock looking down at Leon's prone body. She stared at him as Buck continued to struggle against his bonds.

"Hazel, please. Look at me!"

Hazel's entire body was trembling looked over to Buck. Her face was pale and her eyes full of fright. He hated that he felt badly for her, but he needed to set that aside for now.

"I need you to go over to the table and get my knife," Buck said calmly. "Come on. You can do it."

Hazel started to move toward the table. She was completely dazed. Her feet stumbled a bit and Buck really hoped she did not faint. Finally, Hazel made it to the table and with a trembling hand, slowly picked up Buck's knife.

"Now, bring it back to me," Buck said calmly.

Hazel turned and her brows furrowed as she watched the light from the fireplace dance on the flat of the blade. She stood in front of Buck and handed him the blade, quite suddenly, nearly stabbing him in the process.

Buck arched an eyebrow. "Hazel, you're going to have to cut me loose," he reminded her by holding up his bound hands.

"I'm so stupid, Buck," Hazel whispered. "You tried to tell me, but I didn't listen to you. You think that other man is going to hurt me the same way this man was going to, don't you?"

"No, I think he's going to tuck you in and tell you a bedtime story," Buck said sarcastically. "Of course he's planning to hurt you. Now please cut this rope so we can get out of here."

"I can't go back to Rock Creek," Hazel said still dazed. "I'll never be able to show my face."

Buck was confused. Hazel wasn't making any sense. Unless…

"Hazel, what did you do?" Buck asked. He really hoped it wasn't what he thought.

"I was just so angry," Hazel said as she turned her back to Buck. "My parents were being unreasonable."

Buck closed his eyes and hit his head against the wall again. He came to this cabin to get away from people and the stupid things they did. Now, Hazel and her stupidity had followed him here.

"The robbery was all your idea wasn't it?" Buck asked already knowing the answer. "They didn't recruit you, you recruited them."

"Yes, it was and yes, I did," Hazel answered proudly. "I had just had an argument with my parents about…something…and these men overheard me say that robbing the bank would be a good way to get back at them. We talked for awhile and I decided that all I would have to do was pretend that I was being kidnapped and that would be it. I would get one third of the money and then they would get away. My parents would be happy just to have me back and they would forget all about the money...and that argument."

"Hazel, they tricked you," Buck said wearily. "They never had any intention of sharing that money with you. You can explain that to Teaspoon and your parents. Who has the money now?"

"I do," Hazel said. "I have all of it."

"Where is it?" Buck asked.

"It's in that bag near my coat," Hazel said pointing.

"Fine," Buck said. "You'll return it and everyone will forgive you. It'll be alright. First, though, we need to get out of here and that means you need to cut me loose."

"I don't know if I can," Hazel said. "I don't know if it's safe."

"Aren't you supposed to be in charge here," Buck asked his tone increasing in anger and frustration.

The door flew open and Hazel dropped Buck's knife at his feet. The both looked over at the door surprised.

Hank looked over at Leon and then back to Hazel and Buck. "Looks like Leon can't hold his liquor, huh pretty girl?"

* * *

**A/N: I had affectionately started calling Hazel, Hazel Facepalm or just Facepalm as of this chapter. I must shout out thanks to Gert, Beulah, and Myrtle for their help on this section. Your help has been invaluable! Must thank everyone on the plus for their love and support. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Hazel stood upright and held her head high. She was trying to put on an air of confidence Buck knew she did not really possess. Hank closed the space between himself and Hazel in just a few steps and she tried but failed not to shrink ever so slightly.

"Now about the payment you owe me," Hank said forcefully.

"I'll get you your money," Hazel said trying not to let her fear betray her. She turned to get him his share when he grabbed her arm and swung her back facing him.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Hank said dismissively. "I'm talking about you. You owe me a tumble missy."

"I do not," Hazel protested. "I made a deal for money only."

"You said I could have whatever else I wanted and that's what I want. Don't matter to me what you think you made a deal for. I'll be taking what I'm owed whether you're willing or not."

Hank began to circle Hazel as if to size her up or just make her feel powerless. Buck knew that type of man. That was the type of man his mother had drilled into him never to become. Hazel just stood there trying not to lose her composure.

With Hank distracted, Buck deftly covered his knife with his bound feet and moved it very slowly toward him. He would probably have to free himself now. Hazel was now shaking and Buck wasn't sure if he could get himself free in time. He would have to wait until Hank was completely focused on Hazel to free himself, but he would only have a very small window to get free before Hank hurt Hazel.

Hank pushed Hazel against the wall and started kissing her and Buck realized his window of opportunity had arrived. He quickly maneuvered the knife upright between his feet so he could cut the ropes on his wrists.

"Hey, Indian," Hank called out and Buck was forced to let the knife fall softly to the ground. "When I'm done here, I'll let you have a taste of this."

Hazel let out a frightened cry and Buck was repulsed by the scene before him. It is what he knew would happen, but knowing it didn't make any of it ok. Hank resumed his mouth's assault on Hazel's neck and lips while Hazel struggled and sobbed. Filled with resolve, Buck squirmed to try to loosen the ropes, but they were too tight. He grabbed the knife again between his feet and managed to get it stable enough to cut the ropes binding his hands. The sound of Hazel's dress ripping momentarily stopped him. Buck looked over at the dangerous lust in Hank's eyes. Hank was not a man who would stop at rape. The realization spurred Buck on as he worked the rope against the knife with more fervor. Hank started to pull up the skirt of Hazel's dress just as Buck freed his hands. Hazel's screams pierced the air as Buck severed the rope binding his legs. Jumping to his feet, he tackled Hank liberating Hazel from a tragic fate. Hank and Buck wrestled on the ground until Buck was able to gain his footing and the upper hand. It was true that Hank outweighed Buck, but Buck was quicker and more agile.

"Hazel!" Buck yelled. "Go and get the horses ready!"

Hazel stood stock still with her eyes wide. She looked down at her ripped blouse, frozen in shock.

"Hazel!" Buck yelled again, but the rest of his sentence was cut short as he lost his advantage and took a punishing blow to his midsection.

Hazel started at Buck's call and tried to pull herself together. She grabbed her coat and moved quickly to the door. She let out a small scream when something grabbed hold of her ankle. Leon was awake and smiling lasciviously at her.

"Buck, help me!" Hazel cried as Leon pulled her to the floor.

"A little busy here!" Buck grunted as Hank dealt another blow to his stomach.

Though Hazel shook with fear, she gathered some courage and started to kick away from Leon's grasp. She was nearly free when Buck collapsed to the ground with a thud, just inches from her. She stopped struggling and watched in horror as Hank kicked her would be rescuer a couple of times in the ribs. Flinching, Hazel let out a tiny scream each time Hank's foot connected with Buck's rib cage. On the last kick, Buck managed to catch Hank's foot and twist it hard upending Hank in the process. Freed from Hank's punishing abuse, Buck gave the man a taste of his own medicine with a kick to the solar plexus. He had no hope of defeating the man in this fight, so he needed to concentrate his efforts on an escape. Buck grabbed his coat and kicked Leon in the face as he grabbed Hazel's elbow. He dragged her to her feet and pulled her out the door. All the while hoping they had enough of a lead to grab a horse or two.

"Come on!" Buck shouted as he pulled Hazel along.

The snow was really coming down hard now and it was becoming difficult to see. Hazel was still in shock and moved slowly. Buck managed to pull his horse and another from the makeshift lean to barn when shots rang out. Both Leon and Hank were shooting at them from the doorway of the cabin. Buck no longer had his gun to return fire and he would probably need the knife later, so he had no choice but to try and outrun the gunfire. He managed to get Hazel on the back of a horse and vaulted himself onto his own. Buck kept the reins of Hazel's horse in his hands and pulled her horse behind his.

"Hold on," Buck shouted over the snow. He could not figure out who was more stubborn, Hazel or her horse.

"I can't stay on without a saddle," Hazel complained as she tried to sit atop her horse.

"You're gonna have to," Buck insisted.

Buck gave his horse a little kick but turned suddenly when he heard a gunshot and Hazel scream. Hazel had fallen from her horse and was now in the snow holding her arm just below her shoulder. He could see the trickle of blood coming from a wound. Buck jumped from his horse just as more shots whizzed by his head. The shots spooked the horses and they galloped away.

"Dammit!" Buck yelled as he knelt down beside Hazel. "Come on, get up. We'll have to make a run for it."

Hazel started to cry. "I can't make it," she said. "I've been shot."

Buck looked over at her arm. "It looks like a graze," he said. "I know it hurts, but you have to put that aside for now."

"I can't," Hazel sobbed a bit overdramatically. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Only if I kill you," Buck muttered in frustration.

"What did you say?" Hazel asked.

Buck yanked her to her feet. "Hazel, we don't have time for this," he said. "We have to go…unless you want me to leave you behind with those two men."

"No," Hazel sniffed and struggled to her feet. Buck took her hand and pulled her behind him as they continued to dodge bullets. Buck ducked behind a tree and pulled Hazel to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, this chapter is a bit short...but it would have made the chapter before or after this way too long. Thanks to the ladies on the plus for everything! Thanks to Beulah and Gert for helping me with this chapter, you two are awesome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"You better let me look at that wound," Buck said once there was a lull in the shooting. Hazel looked paler than before. He groaned. He would never be able to get her back to town if she passed out on him.

Buck lowered the sleeve of her coat and looked at her arm.

"What are you doing?" Hazel asked as she jerked her coat sleeve back onto her shoulder. She let out a small whimper at the pain the motion caused her.

Hazel's question wasn't one of curiosity. Buck could handle it, if it were. No, the question wasn't a question at all. It was an accusation. He wasn't doing anything untoward. What he was trying to do was the same thing he'd been trying to do the whole time. Save her. This was one of the times he wondered why he was bothering. Hazel was a poor excuse for a human being and she had been nothing but intent on proving that to him over and over.

"I need to take a look at your arm," Buck decided to answer simply. "I can't have you passing out from blood loss."

The thought process Hazel was going through was evident in her eyes. Buck could do nothing but shake his head at her.

"Ok, but you only have permission to examine my arm," she said guarded. "Keep your hands off the rest of me."

Buck narrowed his eyes at her and again, tried to control his temper. He never even had a thought or gave Hazel any indication that his intentions were less than honorable. He swallowed his anger because it would do neither of them any good right now. As soon as he got them both safely back to Rock Creek, he could hate her in earnest. For now, he lowered her coat sleeve once more and breathed a sigh of relief that it was just a scratch. A deep scratch, but not anything serious.

"I'll need a strip of fabric from your petticoat," Buck said looking Hazel in the eyes.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"Your petticoat," Buck said again. "I'll need a strip of fabric to bind your wound."

"But…" Hazel protested.

"Look," Buck said sharply. "I don't like this any more than you do and I wish to hell I could just leave you out here, but I can't in good conscience do it. Now are you going to tear a piece of cloth to make a dressing or do you want me to do it?"

Hazel looked like she'd been slapped. She looked down at the hem of her dress and started to pull the skirt up with her good arm. "I can't," she said, "But you can't either. It wouldn't be proper."

Buck rolled his eyes and tried not to throw up his arms in frustration. He didn't want to die because of this girl and she was making it really hard to not throw her to the wolves.

"Hazel," Buck said straddling himself between growling and calm. "If you pass out, I'm not carrying your sorry butt back to Rock Creek."

"Okay," she said meekly.

Buck took out his knife and cut a notch in her petticoat. He carefully ripped a strip as Hazel folded her legs underneath herself to prevent Buck from seeing anything improper. He carefully wrapped the bandage over her wound. Looking around the area, Buck concentrated on the surrounding sounds. He thought he heard a branch break about twenty yards away.

"We need to get moving," Buck said and pulled Hazel to her feet.

"I'm so tired, Buck," Hazel complained. "We need to get back to the cabin."

"The cabin isn't safe," Buck answered incredulously. "We'll have to find shelter somewhere else."

"How are we supposed to do that in this weather?" Hazel asked in near hysterics. "I can barely see you or anything else in front of us."

Buck looked out over the landscape. She was right. The thick snow made it so they couldn't see anything out here. He was not even sure where the cabin was in relation to where they were now. Buck noticed that the trail they left, in the snow, to the tree was no longer visible. He wasn't about to tell Hazel that. She was scared enough though and he did not need her any more hysterical than she already was.

The cabin was the only shelter Buck knew of for miles around. There were no caves in the hills or the immediate area. There was that nice stretch of woods though. Hazel was not going to like it, but right now they had no other options. Hazel tripped on the uneven ground as Buck led them into the first stand of trees.

"I need to stop, Buck," Hazel begged from the ground. "I keep falling."

"We don't have time to stop," Buck informed her. "Those two men are right behind us."

"Maybe you'd better just leave me behind," Hazel lamented overdramatically. Buck knew she wasn't serious, but he was beyond annoyed.

"Fine," Buck said and turned to leave her. "Have a nice life."

"Wait!" Hazel shouted. "I wasn't really serious!"

Buck stopped and crouched down in front of her. "Hazel, I don't play games and I'm not interested in starting," he warned her. "If you come with me, I will do my best to see you back to Rock Creek, but you need to help too. Otherwise, I don't care what you do or where you go."

Hazel looked back at Buck again as if he had slapped her.

"I think I saw 'em go this way, Hank!" Leon shouted through the snow from only ten feet away.

Buck saw Hazel open her mouth to loudly protest. He quickly spun himself out of Leon's view and in turning, covered Hazel's mouth with his hand. He pressed the two of them flush with the tree and waited for the danger to pass.

"They're not here, Leon!" Hank shouted back from the other side of the tree. "I think they went the other way. Come on!"

After a few minutes, Buck peeked around the corner and saw the men were gone. He removed his hand from Hazel's mouth. He was just about to suggest they get moving deeper into the woods when Hazel slapped him across the cheek.

"What was that for?" Buck asked angrily. He began stroking his rapidly reddening cheek.

"Never before have I been so grievously mishandled," Hazel protested.

"Really?" Buck asked sardonically. "I guess you would prefer the soft and gentle touch of Hank and Leon. They went that way." He pointed in the general direction of the two men, then turned the opposite direction, and started walking further into the woods.

He felt Hazel watch him leave and a good part of him hoped she would not follow him. A smaller but persistent part of him still wanted to protect her though. That part hoped she would come to her senses and follow him. It didn't take very long until Buck heard her stumbling footfalls behind him as Hazel rushed to catch up with him. "Wait for me!" she called.

Buck slowed his pace until she was beside him.

"Please don't leave me alone out here," Hazel begged.

"We need to keep moving," Buck said. "I need to find us shelter so we can wait out this storm."

"Is there something nearby?" Hazel asked. "Like a cave or a cabin?"

"No," Buck said plainly.

"But then..." Hazel started but was silenced by a menacing scowl from Buck.

The snowfall was lighter the further they wandered into the woods. Buck started to relax as Hazel decided to remain silent and just follow wherever he led her. Their journey was still harrowing. Hazel was not light on her feet and made a lot of noise tromping through the woods. She tripped over every conceivable downed branch and seemed to find every bit of uneven ground. At one point, Buck considered throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her, but decided against the aggravation and noise of her inevitable protest. They had been walking for about an hour maybe longer when Buck saw an area he thought he could make a shelter. He found a downed tree that was only about three inches in diameter and decided it would do nicely.

"What are we stopping here for?" Hazel asked as Buck surveyed the downed tree.

"We'll camp here," Buck said plainly.

"What?" Hazel nearly screamed. "There's no shelter here!"

"Not yet," Buck said with a slight smile.

"What do you mean, 'yet'?" Hazel asked horrified.

"Exactly how it sounds," Buck answered irritated.

Buck found a string of leather in his coat pocket and lashed one end of the fallen sapling about three feet up on the trunk of a nearby tree. The inclined tree made what looked like a ridge pole of a lean to.

"Are you building something?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Yes," Buck sighed in irritation. "It's a temporary shelter. It should be just big enough to fit us both lying down."

"Lying down?" Hazel gasped, "Next to each other?"

"You have a better idea on how to keep both warm and alive?" Buck asked.

Hazel shook her head and started to cry again. Buck just rolled his eyes.

"Here," Buck said holding out a branch. "Find all the branches and sticks you can about this size."

"What if I get lost?" Hazel said.

"Don't go too far," Buck said. "There should be plenty of wood close by."

While Hazel started to gather branches and sticks, Buck was gathering leaf litter and other debris into a large pile. He also cleared the snow from underneath the ridge pole. The quick work he made of his part of the project had generated a good bit of sweat on his brow. Buck leaned against the anchor tree and took a break. He watched Hazel pick up more and more branches and smiled at how heavily laden her arms were. Buck debated the merits of leaving her out there to gather more branches and make herself useful, despite the fact that she had gathered plenty of branches already. He finally sighed in self-reproach at his own pettiness and called out, "I think that's enough branches."

After dumping her bounty at his feet, Hazel sat down and rested while Buck worked. He leaned all the branches she had gathered like ribs against the downed tree he lashed to the trunk of the other. As soon as he had set all the ribs on both sides of the ridge pole, he started to cover the ribs with pine boughs. Once the pine boughs were in place he started to toss the leaf litter and other debris over the top. He also put some inside the structure to make a soft pallet for sleeping.

"After you," Buck said pointing inside the small hut.

"Oh no, I'm not getting in there," Hazel protested. "It is too small for us both to fit. We'll be touching each other."

Buck stared at the sky, already rethinking his decision to be kinder to Hazel

"If we want to stay warm, we've got to touch each other," Buck said logically.

"Well you can forget it," Hazel spat. "I'd rather freeze."

He narrowed his eyes in irritation, frustration and something he was beginning to think might be abhorrence. He was so sick of the resistance and difficulty concerning every little thing. He tried to find the serenity in letting her be her own obstacle to survival. He was done with it for the night.

"Suit yourself," Buck said with a gentle laugh and shimmied inside the cozy hut.

Hazel stood outside shivering in the frightful blizzard. She turned her back on the shelter and looked out into the imposing swirls and flourishes of snowflakes. She looked over her shoulder a few times and saw Buck's face looking content and restful. She stomped her foot in frustration.

"Buck?" Hazel said quietly. "I'm cold."

Buck opened his eyes and looked at the pitiful young woman in front of him. "There's plenty of room in here," he taunted.

"I can't crawl in there," Hazel said in a strained voice. "If anyone saw me in there with you, I'd be ruined. Besides I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself. I've heard about savages like you."

Buck's eyes narrowed in anger at her 'savage' remark. Hazel was making it very difficult for him to maintain his calm. If he could shut his compassion for another life off, he would for her. He took a deep cleansing breath and smiled. "I promise I will keep my hands to myself, if you promise the same," he said with a slight air of teasing in his voice.

Hazel's jaw dropped. "Why I never…" she choked. "If you think for one minute that I would touch you on purpose, you've got another think coming."

Buck laughed and it seemed to make Hazel even angrier. He had never seen this side of her before and he couldn't help but think how beautiful it made her look. Her dull green eyes had darkened and took on a sparkle to rival the stars. Even the flair of her nostrils seemed more complimentary to her face then when her nose was its usual thin and pointy shape. Her face slightly flushed in anger was a much better color on her than her normal pallid complexion.

Trying to remember that he was just as angry with her, Buck shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Are you coming in here or what?" he asked. "I want to seal the opening to keep the chill out. This is your last chance to stay alive and be warm."

Hazel's eyes welled with tears. "Okay, I'll come in there," she said hesitantly. "Please don't hurt me."

Lowering his face into his hands in frustration, Buck grumbled, "You should know by now I'm not going to hurt you. I've done nothing but save you all day."

Hazel approached the opening of the debris hut and faltered a little as she reached the door. A shiver of fear overtook her as she began to crouch down to the opening. Gingerly, feet first, she started to climb inside readjusting and pulling her skirt down as best she could. Buck sealed the entrance with more leaves when she was finally inside.

"Do you think those men will find us in here?" Hazel asked nervously.

"I doubt it," Buck said. "By the time the snow lets up our shelter here should be completely covered," he said. "It will look like a fallen log covered in snow."

"That's good," Hazel said. "I just know they won't rest until they find us."

"Why?" Buck asked. "They probably are just as glad to be rid of you. They can escape free and clear with the money."

"No they can't," Hazel said uneasily. "I have all the money with me. I grabbed the bag with my coat."

Buck let his head hit the ground with a thud. All his serenity and peace vanished and was replaced by an angry and helpless scowl. This girl was going to get him killed. He did not want to die. Not for her.

* * *

**A/N: Again, thanks to Beulah and Gert for their help and thanks to the ladies on the plus for the love and support. Thanks to everyone who is reading along :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Even though Buck's body heat was keeping her warm and snug, Hazel slept horribly. She could not get comfortable because if she did she would surely bump up against Buck. She opened her eyes and looked across the shelter. It must have been light out or maybe her eyes had just adjusted to the darkness, but she could see him clearly lying on his side. Of course his face was only about a foot from hers. By the sound of his steady breathing, Hazel figured Buck was still asleep.

Hazel couldn't understand how he could sleep so peacefully. They were stuck out in a blizzard. Shouldn't he be just as agitated and restless as she was? Maybe it was the savage in him that made him comfortable on the rock hard ground. Indians lived that way normally, right? Obviously, he knew how to live out in the wild. She did not. She slept on a comfortable feather bed in her parent's house. Here, she could feel every bit of unevenness on the ground. Every tree rut, rock, and fallen branch kept her from being content and sleeping. Hazel thought several times about waking Buck just so she wasn't the only one awake, but ultimately she decided against that. He would just be angry with her for the rest of the night.

Looking over at Buck again, Hazel wrinkled her nose in irritation. She let out a silent sigh and looked at Buck's serene face. As she looked she cocked her head to the side and took the opportunity to _really_ look at him. She could never do that in polite company. That would be scandalous. Her mother would have a fit.

Though it pained her to admit it, Buck had a very pleasing face. She noticed how his eyelashes fanned out just under his eyes. They were very dark and long. Hazel had never paid attention to them before. They had a curl to them that would make any woman jealous.

Hazel looked away. The last thing she wanted was for Buck to wake up and see her staring at him with any sort of admiration in her eyes. It might give him ideas. Hazel peeked back at Buck. He was still sleeping. She moved her eyes down to his lips. Slowly her eyebrows lifted.

Buck's lips looked almost like a cupid's bow, Hazel decided. They also looked very soft. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be kissed by them. Hazel quietly admonished herself for such thoughts. Really, she shouldn't be thinking about kisses at a time like this. Her mother would say she was being very foolish. She shouldn't ever be thinking of kisses according to her mother. Hazel often thought about kisses anyways. She didn't have a lot of experience with boys and kisses. It wasn't like she'd never been kissed. She had stole kisses at recess behind the schoolhouse with Mason when they were young and if she counted every kiss she had gotten, there were those men at the cabin. She didn't like to think about that. All she remembered from those men was the smell of liquor and smoke on their stale breath. Hazel shuddered and caught herself almost moving closer to Buck for comfort.

Hazel looked at Buck's face and the kindness that resided there. His kisses would be different, she determined. He had all the strength of those men but none of the ill intention. Hazel imagined his kiss would be firm and passionate, yet tender. She wondered if he would taste as delicious as he smelled. Her stomach did a nervously delighted flip at the same time she nearly gasped aloud at her thoughts. Hazel quickly put the thought out of her mind. What was she thinking? Hazel did not want Buck to kiss her. She would be ruined for sure!

Deciding the sleeplessness must be getting to her, Hazel tried to put all thoughts of Buck from her mind. Her eyes drifted away from his face to his hair. His hair would be a safe place to look. There was nothing interesting about a man's hair, she concluded. The more she studied his dark hair, the more it made her want to run her fingers through it. That thought led to thinking about his lips against hers again. Hazel nearly squeaked as she chastised herself for thinking such thoughts. They were not only improper but impure! Buck stirred a little and a lock of his hair fell over his face. Hazel bit her lip. She really wanted to reach out and tuck that strand of hair behind his ear, but at the same time she really didn't. She couldn't, could she? Hazel swallowed hard and she decided to take the chance. She carefully reached her hand out and gently moved the hair from Buck's face. Hazel's breath hitched. His hair was so soft. Though she tried not to think about it, she just wanted to throw caution to the wind and run her fingers through the lengths of Buck's luscious hair and kiss his soft warm lips. It was then Hazel noticed that Buck's eyebrows were furrowed. She held her breath hoping he wouldn't wake. She suddenly wondered if he was dreaming. She wondered if he was dreaming of her. The thought sent a thrill through her and that in turn horrified her. She did not want Buck to be dreaming of her, did she?

Hazel closed her eyes tightly and shook her head almost violently trying to turn her thoughts to something else. She needed to stop thinking about Buck. She never wanted to think of him this way. What would people say? She opened one eye to make sure he was still sleeping. He was. She relaxed. Hazel's attention moved to the smoothness of his skin. She wondered if it was a soft as it looked. Her hand drifted over to his cheek and she grazed the skin near his temple. Hazel sucked in a quick breath when she heard herself utter a tiny moan. Her body betrayed her; this was no way for a proper lady to behave, at least, not according to her mother.

Hazel continued to berate herself for taking stock of Buck's good looks. She couldn't be attracted to an Indian and that was all there was too it. She let out a gruff sigh and was about to roll over and try and get some more sleep when she noticed Buck's eyes were open and looking straight at her. She gasped in shock. He caught her in extremely untoward behavior and she was mortified. Hazel couldn't help in that moment to be drawn to his eyes. Up close she thought they looked like melted bittersweet chocolate like the kind her mother used for cakes. She paled and then blushed slightly.

"What?" Buck asked gruffly, eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Nothing, I just can't wait to get home is all," Hazel answered.

"For once, we agree," Buck said dismissing her grumpily.

* * *

Teaspoon stood outside his office and looked over the town. Everything was coated in a thick layer of snow. The sky was heavy with clouds carrying the threat of more snow. There would be no way to track the bank robbers turned kidnappers now. Even if Buck were around, it could not be done.

He went out with Jimmy and Kid last night, but the storm forced their retreat back to town. It made him sick not to be able to find those men. A young woman like Hazel could be in a lot of danger and he was feeling powerless to help. Teaspoon caught Jimmy walking up next to him from the corner of his eye. He felt the heat of a steaming cup of coffee offered. He took the mug and after a long sip he nodded his head in thanks to Jimmy.

"What are you gonna tell Mr. Franklin?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't know," Teaspoon answered honestly.

"Well, you better think of something," Jimmy warned, "He's on his way over here now."

"Lordy, lord," Teaspoon sighed.

Jimmy politely stood to the side and remained interested in his coffee as Teaspoon steeled for a conversation he would rather not have.

"Hunter!" Mr. Franklin shouted from across the thoroughfare. "Where's my daughter? Have you found her?"

"Not yet, Mr. Franklin," Teaspoon drawled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mr. Franklin asked.

"Mr. Franklin," Teaspoon assured him. "We'll find your daughter, but last night's storm is going to make it take a little longer. That and my best tracker is away."

"The Indian boy?" Mr. Franklin asked.

"Yep," Teaspoon said. "Buck Cross."

"Dreadful thing that happened to him at the dance," Mr. Franklin said. "I know my Hazel was a party to it and I assure you she was punished for her part in it."

"I'm sure Buck would appreciate that," Teaspoon said.

"Yes, well do you think Mr. Cross will be back soon?" Mr. Franklin asked. "I'm very worried about Hazel. I don't even want to imagine what those men are doing to her."

"I'm pretty sure they must be around close by," Teaspoon said. "They would have had to take shelter for the night somewhere. I'm sure we'll find them with or without Buck here to help."

"Thank you, Marshal," Mr. Franklin said. "I'll just go wait with my wife, Marietta, for news."

Mr. Franklin walked away toward his house. His wife was clinging to one of the posts on their porch with her shawl pulled tightly around her shoulders. Worry as well as anger was etched on her face and Teaspoon tipped his hat to her. Mrs. Franklin's eyes narrowed and before Mr. Franklin could get to her, she gave him an irritated looked and turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her as she stormed into their house.

"What are we gonna do now, Teaspoon?" Jimmy asked after taking another sip of his coffee.

"Go over to the station and get Kid and Lou," Teaspoon said draining his cup. "We need to find those robbers and save that girl."

"I sure wish we had Buck here," Jimmy said. "Even Cody would be nice."

"Yeah, but we don't," Teaspoon reminded him. "I don't think Buck would have liked looking for that girl anyhow."

"But he would have done it," Jimmy said, "Even if he hated every minute of it. That's the type of guy Buck is."

The two men's thoughts were interrupted by the whinny of a horse that was trotting to the barn.

"Isn't that…?" Teaspoon questioned, his face becoming drawn with worry.

"Yeah, I think so," Jimmy said concerned. He tossed out the remains of his coffee and left the cup on the window sill and he and Teaspoon quickly crossed the thoroughfare to the former Express station barn.

The two men walked up to a skittish Trickster and looked him over. Jimmy ran his hands over the gelding's legs looking for injury while Teaspoon held onto his bridle.

"Easy, Boy," Jimmy said as he crossed to the other side of the horse.

"No saddle," Teaspoon observed. "Perhaps he got spooked and ran off."

"Either that or Buck's in trouble," Jimmy concluded, setting Trickster's leg down.

"The timing couldn't be worse for that," Teaspoon said. "But Buck's mighty resourceful."

The two men would only be allowed a moment's worry when something else caught Jimmy's eye.

"But the timing couldn't be better for that," Jimmy said pointing to the edge of town.

"Well, I'll be," Teaspoon said as he watched horse and rider trotting up to the barn. "Hot damn, Cody, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

"Howdy, Teaspoon," Cody said wearily. "Rachel still have breakfast on?"

"I hope so," Jimmy remarked. "I haven't eaten since last night and my belly is starting to gnaw at my backbone."

"That makes three of us," Teaspoon said. "Jimmy, why don't you take care of the horses, while I roust Kid and Lou. We're gonna need everyone."

A flurry of activity started around the bunkhouse as Lou helped Rachel get breakfast ready. Kid ran out to help Jimmy with the horses and Teaspoon got Cody settled back in his old familiar bunk. Buck and Jimmy were the only ones staying in there with Kid and Lou in the house with Rachel. Breakfast hit the table just as Jimmy and Kid came in from the barn. Teaspoon sat down at the head of the table with everyone else gathered around and started to fill their plates with food.

"Alright, Lou, boys, here's the situation," Teaspoon said after breakfast was eaten. "Yesterday, the bank was robbed. The two robbers made off with all the money in the bank and the banker's daughter, Hazel. So far because of the weather we can't follow their trail. Now with the deep snow out there, I don't know how we'll even find them. And just a few minutes ago, Buck's horse showed up this morning without a saddle or rider." The ex-riders all looked at each other in shock and worry. Teaspoon continued with a furrowed brow, "I don't know if Buck's in trouble or not, but wherever he is, he is most likely stranded."

Teaspoon paused a moment and turned to Cody and filled him in on what happened to Buck at the dance. Cody frowned and fisted his hands in frustration as Teaspoon explained that Buck left the station.

"You don't think he was planning stay away, do you Teaspoon?" Cody asked.

"Don't rightly know," Teaspoon answered. "All's I can say, is I hope not."

All the eyes looked worriedly around the table leaving much of their fears and anxieties unsaid. No one wanted to think the worst or even lend a voice to it.

"Cody, you and Jimmy are coming with me and we're going to try and find those bank robbers," Teaspoon said. "Kid, I'm counting on you and Lou to find Buck and make sure he's alright. Don't take no chances out there and be back here before dark. It looks like the weather means to turn ugly on us again."

Rachel came in with packs of food and coffee for everyone. She also made sure everyone was dressed warmly and handed out a couple of extra scarves and mittens. "You all be careful out there, ya hear?" she said with worry.

"We will," Teaspoon said. "Mount up, Boys!"

* * *

**A/N: I must thank my dear Beulah for help with this chapter. This was our first glimpse into the mind of Hazel and I fretted over this chapter mightily. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Buck left Hazel inside the shelter and went out and surveyed the area around them. He could not see the cabin from where he was and wasn't really sure exactly where they were. The sky was overcast so they would be getting more snow. Buck would have to make a decision soon about whether they would stay here or move. Of course Hazel would like to get back to town and her family, but it might be safer for them to stay put. They had shelter and with all the snow around they had water. Now all they needed was food and fire. Buck set some simple snares for rabbits and started to collect some wood. He found a nice straight stick that would be perfect for a hand drill. He just needed to make a fire board off of a larger log if he could find a good one. As Buck looked around for a good piece of wood he also found several milkweed plants and cattails with their fluff still attached. He gathered as much fluff as he could and put it in his pocket. It would be important tinder for starting the camp fire later.

Buck continued to look around the area for useful things. If he could find some more large branches he might be able to expand their hut so they wouldn't have to spend the day so close to each other. Buck was less than thrilled by their proximity already. By late morning, Buck had come back to the camp area with as many natural supplies as he could carry and shortly thereafter he had a brace of rabbits roasting over a nice campfire. He built up a firewall to keep the heat contained to their area. He felt almost content to be living so closely off the land. Continuing to work on small projects, Buck almost didn't notice Hazel wake.

Hazel came out of the debris hut and held her coat snug around her and sat down on a small log Buck had gathered for sitting. She made a face at Buck who was stretching the rabbit pelts on makeshift frames.

"What are you doing?" she asked with an air of both alarm and curiosity.

"Tanning the pelts," Buck said as if it were obvious.

"Ew," Hazel said cringing, "why?"

"I don't know how long we'll be out here," Buck explained irritated by her squeamish and prissy reaction. She hadn't seemed to care about the mess when she was throwing paint and feathers on him with her friends. "We may need the pelts to keep us warm. Your fancy shoes are pretty damn useless out here."

"Oh," Hazel said looking down at her dainty shoes then looked over at Buck again. Her lip curled in distaste. "Do you have to do that here? It's disgusting."

"Yes," Buck replied impatiently. "I don't want the brain to freeze before I've had a chance to use it."

Hazel looked repulsed and Buck just smiled. He started to mash the brain and some snow up in a wooden basin he was able to fashion from a hollow log. Hazel ran just outside the area and threw up. Buck laughed silently to himself. His plan of serenity was working to keep Hazel from tipping his temper. He was starting to really enjoy torturing her with his good mood while they waited for the weather to break.

Buck finished the pelts just as the rabbits were done cooking. He took the spits off the fire and handed one to Hazel. "It's good, don't worry," he said and dove into the freshly cooked meat. Hazel looked at the meal meekly and started to pick a bit of meat off to taste it. Hazel made several faces that ranged from unimpressed to pure disgust. Buck found it more amusing than irritating. He didn't care if she starved.

"I can't eat the rest of this," Hazel whined. Buck took the rest of the rabbit and stuck it in the snow. It would preserve the meat fine until evening and they could have it for dinner.

After they ate, Buck put a little more wood on the fire. He kept the fire as small and compact as he could. It was only for warmth. He didn't want Hank and Leon to find them because they had a large roaring fire.

"Let me take a look at your wound," Buck said as he sat near Hazel.

"Your hands are dirty," Hazel said squeamishly, "Besides, my wound is fine. It doesn't hurt at all."

Buck scowled. "Fine," he said amused but frustrated. "Don't come crying to me if it becomes infected."

Hazel muttered to herself and crawled into the hut. "I'm taking a nap," she announced.

Buck just shook his head and continued to bolster their shelter as the snowfall became heavier. He had tanned the pelts and added them to their shelter for warmth and carved out several more basins for melting snow and cooking. He probably had more supplies than they would need by now, but Buck wanted to be prepared for anything.

It was hard keeping up his air of humor and calm. Buck was annoyed that he was doing everything to keep the both of them alive and safe and Hazel did absolutely nothing but complain. He just kept telling himself that he couldn't leave her with those robbers. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if she'd been raped. Things were going to need to change tomorrow. He couldn't keep doing everything to keep them alive. Hazel probably didn't know what to do, but not asking was no longer a valid excuse. He would just have to start giving her jobs. He really hoped the weather would let up and he could get them both back to Rock Creek. Then he would be rid of her. They could both go on with their own lives. From the cabin, it would take most of a day by horseback. It would take considerably longer on foot. Also, Buck wasn't sure how far they were from the cabin or which direction. He figured they would need to leave in the morning and it would take maybe a couple of days to get back to town. He would have to keep an eye on the weather and make sure they could find shelter at a moment's notice.

By dinner time, Buck had caught another rabbit and already processed the pelt. Hazel dragged herself out of the hut just as he had pulled the roasted animal off the fire.

"Rabbit again," Hazel sighed. "I don't suppose you could have caught something else?"

Buck felt his eyelids lower in irritation. He was trying very hard to deal with her through humor, but his humor was wearing thin now and he having much trouble by the evening keeping himself centered. "I'm sorry it's not to your taste. Maybe you would have rather I caught something a little more appropriate to your station in life, like a rat. You don't have to eat it. You can always starve."

Hazel opened her mouth to protest and Buck felt a surge of anger rush through him. He had completely lost his serenity and couldn't stop himself from yelling at her. It just flowed through him like a raging river.

"No," he shouted. "I don't want to hear whatever 'problem' you have with the food or anything else for that matter. You don't get to have an opinion. You humiliated me in front of the whole town and then proceeded to interrupt my stay at the cabin by using it as a hideout after a bank robbery. If that isn't bad enough your henchmen double cross you and kick the crap out of me for good measure. Now we're out here in the woods without any supplies and completely unprepared for the conditions and you have the gall to complain about the food. You're lucky you have anything to eat. You're lucky you have anywhere to sleep. I could have left you there at the cabin to fend for yourself. Instead of complaining you should be thanking me for saving you."

Hazel swallowed back her shock, took another bite of the rabbit, and was silent for the rest of the meal. Buck tried to get a hold of his temper but he swore to the Great Spirit that one more complaint from Hazel and he would stake her out in the middle of the nearest meadow and leave her for the wolves, bears, or whatever scavenger came along. He would take the consequences and be fine.

With the sun long since set, the temperature was falling rapidly and Hazel started to shiver. Buck was even colder than he would have liked to be. He hated to suggest it, because frankly he did not want to be any closer to Hazel than was necessary, but they would need to snuggle together to stay warm tonight. The shock on her face caused Buck mixed feelings. He couldn't decide if her face would drive him to intense anger or fits of laughter. He waited for her to speak.

"I beg your pardon?" Hazel asked. The look of fear and discomfort was winning over her attempt to stay in control.

"I just think we might have to sleep closer together tonight to stay warm," Buck answered gently.

"Mr. Cross," Hazel said sounding offended. "I'm not complaining, but what you are suggesting is improper, although it makes perfect sense coming from the likes of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Buck replied just as offended. Clearly, his serenity was long gone and the anger was starting to win.

"You're an uncivilized savage," Hazel said matter of factly.

"You're a spoiled brat," Buck spat back. "I should just leave you off in a snow bank somewhere and be done with you."

"You wouldn't dare," Hazel gasped.

"Just watch me," Buck challenged.

The two stood toe to toe and glared at each other. Hazel's eyes glazed with something Buck could only recognize as passion. If anything it angered him more. It was like she was using her sex to win this argument. He moved closer to her, backing her into the tree. Hazel closed her eyes and her lips had a slight pucker to them. Was she thinking he was going to kiss her? Buck stood there stunned until Hazel opened her eyes and looked away. She looked back with renewed fire as if to cover up what could have happened between them.

"Fine, but if you take any liberties while I sleep, I'll see you hanged from the nearest tree when we get back to Rock Creek." Hazel warned.

"Oh that's rich coming from a bank robber," Buck taunted.

Hazel harrumphed and turned on her heel. She angrily settled into the shelter while Buck finished preparing their camp for night. The fire was put out as it was too close to the shelter and the last thing Buck wanted was to wake up with the shelter on fire. The fire was used mostly for cooking and for light and he also did not want to attract the attention of Hank and Leon. Those two bank robbers were still out there and were probably very intent on finding Hazel and the stash of stolen money she carried.

Buck took one more look around and crawled in the shelter. He really hoped the snow would stop so they could be on their way home. He did not want to spend any more time with Hazel than necessary. Hazel shivered in her sleep even while hogging all three of the rabbit pelts and Buck took pity on her. Even though she had been his biggest tormentor as of late, she was absolutely helpless now. She couldn't survive on her own and Buck felt bad for her and knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't keep trying to save her. He pulled Hazel closer to him to keep them both warm.

* * *

Kid and Lou sat huddled up together in front of the bunkhouse fireplace. Rachel draped a fluffy blanket over their shoulders and gave them each a steaming cup of coffee. She drifted over to the window looking for signs of the others. Rachel still looked after the riders even though the Express was over now. They would always be her riders. She hated it whenever one of them was out in bad weather. Teaspoon, Cody, and Jimmy were still out there looking for criminals and Buck was God knows where.

"Rachel, why don't you come and sit by the fire," Lou suggested. "Teaspoon and the boys know how to take care of themselves. They'll be home soon I know it."

"Oh, I got a stew on, Lou," Rachel said offering an excuse. "Otherwise I would. I just want to make sure I have something warm for Teaspoon and the boys when they get in."

"Don't worry, Rachel," Kid said supportively. "Like Lou said, they'll be home soon."

Rachel reached her hand to the cold pane of glass and pressed it to the frosty surface. Somehow it made her feel closer to her charges out in the elements. Slowly as she wiped away the icy film from the window, familiar figures appeared and drew closer to the station.

"Oh, thank God," Rachel whispered and turned to Kid and Lou. "They're back."

"I'll put some more wood on the fire," Kid offered, "then I'll set the table."

"I'm going to put some more coffee on," Lou said standing up. She went over to the cook stove and prepared a pot. "The stew smells wonderful, Rachel."

"Thank you, Kid, Lou," Rachel said as she watched the three men disappear with their horses into the barn. She lingered at the window for a moment more and then crossed the bunkhouse to find some more blankets to wrap the men in.

The table was set and Rachel was ready with blankets when the door to the bunkhouse opened. Rachel braced against the chill as Teaspoon, Cody, and Jimmy knocked the snow from their boots just outside the open door.

Kid put another log on the fire after the door was closed and Lou and Rachel started to serve supper. The talk around the table was mostly confined to where they had all looked and that they didn't have any luck finding anything.

"Lou and I are going up to that abandoned cabin near the woods tomorrow," Kid announced. "We'll pack to stay overnight."

"I'll make you up a pack of food," Rachel said standing up.

"We ain't leaving until morning, Rachel," Lou said.

Rachel was frazzled and Teaspoon seeing it was quickly on his feet. "Come on, Rachel, sit down and relax," he said and led Rachel to a chair.

"I think we should all go that way," Cody said. "That cabin is the only place outlaws could hold up too."

Teaspoon's eyes flashed an idea that seemed to slowly creep into the minds of everyone in the room. "It's possible we'll find those robbers, Miss Franklin, and Buck all in the same place."

The riders looked at each other around the room. Buck's horse coming back to the station without him started to weigh heavier on their minds.

"I'm going with you," Rachel insisted. "He could be hurt."

"It's a long ways to that cabin even when there ain't a couple feet of snow on the ground," Teaspoon said eyeing Rachel carefully. "Are you sure, Rachel?"

"I'm sure," she said. "If nobody's there it would make sense to make a home base out of that cabin. You'll need someone to do any cooking and doctoring up there if you don't find them right away."

"Well, if we're all going, we better start gathering supplies," Teaspoon said. "There ain't nothing up there in that cabin."

Rachel and Teaspoon started barking orders getting everyone preparing for the ride ahead. Jimmy quickly left to the jailhouse to gather a few more rifles and as much ammunition as he could carry. Cody started gathering and packing extra blankets in all the bedrolls. Rachel made a list of supplies they didn't have around the station and sent Kid out to fetch them. Lou help Rachel assemble all the medical supplies they would need including a bottle of brandy. Teaspoon sat near the fire coiling rope. A row of saddle bags lay across the table. Each one had one compartment that was filled the same with a flint and steel, emergency rations, a knife, extra shot, and some bandages. Everyone began to fill the other compartment of their saddlebags with extra clothing and anything else they thought they might need.

They all finally felt like they were on the right track and with that everyone's energy was perking up and the smiles were once again free flowing. This was the right path and they would soon find the bank robbers, rescue the girl, and find their missing friend.

* * *

**A/N: Again I must thank Beulah and Gert for their eyes on this chapter. Special thanks to Beulah for reading these chapters over and over again. :) Thank you ladies on the plus for the continued love and support and thank you dear readers for the kind comments and for coming back to read more.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Hazel relaxed as she felt strong arms around her. The warmth she was feeling now helped her to slip into a deeper sleep.

_It was still so warm when she opened her eyes. Buck was still asleep just like last time. Hazel felt emboldened. She moved in closer to him and inhaled his scent. Closing her eyes in pleasure, she realized it was nothing like she thought it would be. She thought he might stink, but she was so wrong. He smelled like a man to her. Hard work and leather combined with something that smelled a bit exotic. Hazel started to feel warmer. She inhaled through her nose again, this time trying to identify each component that made up his smell. She smiled. She could inhale his essence all day long._

_Hazel knew she was being silly, but when Buck was asleep, it was the only time she could be free to admire him. There was a lot to admire –his lips, his hair, and his eyes. Beyond the physical there was the way he protected her. He was strong and brave and good. She could tell he did not like her and he had every right to feel that way after the way she treated him. Her pride wouldn't let her tell him how sorry she was about what she had done or how grateful she was to him for saving her life. He did it despite everything and that made him a rare human being to her and she couldn't help how she was starting to feel about him now._

_She desperately wanted to feel Buck's touch on her bare skin and wanted to run her hands over his in return. She longed to taste him and to touch him. She let her hands wander to the buttons on his shirt and unfasten them. She gave the shirt a little tug and pulled the shirt from its tucked position. Hazel felt the desire burn inside her. Her skin was on fire. She felt her breathing grow heavier as her fingers inched toward Buck's taut stomach. Just this morning she had wondered how soft his skin was and now she was a mere fraction of an inch away from finding out._

_Hazel swallowed hard and pulled her hand away. She needed to calm herself. If she did not, Buck would wake and then she would have to stop for the night. She did not want to stop, so she must be careful._

_Hazel felt Buck stir and in the process pull her closer until her body was pressed tightly against his. She let out a whimper of pleasure as her hand touched the warm skin of his stomach_. _She looked up to see his eyes open__, __staring at her in blank irritation.__She gasped, mortified to have been caught in such a frenzy of want. She clasped her hands and pulled them under her chin, her beet red blush belying her innocent posture. She looked straight ahead at his now empty button holes, wishing she had pushed his shirt off further before he had awoken. He didn't move, nor did he speak. She could feel his eyes bore into her and she waited for him to chastise her for her foolishness. She took a breath and held it in anticipation of the torrent of unholy vitriol she expected him to rain down upon her. When nothing came, she glanced up at him. There was a glint in his eye that disappeared so quickly, she thought she imagined it._

_She looked down and tried to formulate something to say to him, some way to diffuse the situation she caused. She looked back up at him __Right before his lips came crashing down on hers, claiming her mouth with fierceness.__Her mind went silent, then exploded in sensation she had never felt before. His lips, so soft, yet so unyielding, demanding something of her she didn't know how to give. His breath was hot on her face, and she closed her eyes, inhaling his breath, his scent, his very life force. It consumed her, enveloped her, melded with her own breath until she couldn't tell where he ended and she began. She whimpered, wanting more, feeling a need deep inside that she couldn't reach. The butterflies in her belly that fluttered whenever he looked at her started to careen lower, and areas she had never given but a passing thought to, started to tighten with anticipation and need. His lips parted, pulling hers open with them. His tongue ran along her teeth, and she gasped in shock. He took the invitation and plunged deep into her mouth, heedless of her gasping and grabbing._

_The tightness deep inside her blossomed into moisture and she was hit with a wave of light-headedness. She held onto his shirt lapels for dear life, afraid he would want more, yet terrified he might not. The corner of her mind started nudging her, and distracting her from his soft warm lips. Reluctantly, she paid slight attention to the nudging and became aware that his hand was creeping up from her waist slowly over her ribs. She couldn't breathe anymore. Her core was tightening so intensely, she thought she might explode. His hand on her side was threatening to touch where no one had ever touched before, and despite all she had been taught, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and have him touch her there. The first time she would ever be touched by a man, she wanted it to be Buck Cross, her uncivilized savage, so full of passion and life, and so demeaned and reviled by society. She wanted him on top of her, teaching her what it was to be a woman, his smooth, dark skin against hers, pale and delicate. She moaned loudly. Without warning, her mind exploded in stars, she convulsed in spasms, and her hands tightened on Buck's shirt as her whole body froze in ecstasy. The overwhelming sensations washed throughout her body, leaving her quaking._

"What is wrong with you?" Buck asked startling Hazel from sleep.

Hazel opened her eyes and realized it had all been a dream. Her cheeks blushed crimson and she tried to steady herself. She realized her proximity to Buck and started to come unhinged.

"Unhand me, you brute," Hazel demanded.

"Unhand you?" Buck asked angrily. "You're the one holding onto me!"

She looked at her hands and sure enough, they were clutching his shirt collar as intensely as she had in her dream. She let go of him quickly, mortified.

"I must have had a nightmare," Hazel said hoping the story was believable.

She heard Buck laugh to himself. She knew he didn't believe that she was having a nightmare, but he seemed too polite to call her out on exactly what kind of dream she really had. Hazel didn't think she could ever look Buck in the eye again.

* * *

Buck really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Hazel had a little dream which he didn't believe for a second was a nightmare. Her being startled awake was probably closer to a nightmare. Was she dreaming about him? He sincerely hoped not, but the crimson glow to her face seemed to suggest otherwise. Perhaps he could use this new found knowledge to his advantage and take a little more revenge. After what Hazel had already put him through, it was the least he deserved. He shook his head. He didn't like feeling vengeful. He let out an almost defeated sigh. What he wouldn't give for a trip to Teaspoon's sweat lodge. He could really use the chance to think in peace and quiet. It is what he left Rock Creek for in the first place.

It was just before dawn in Buck's estimation and Hazel was still sputtering on about her 'nightmare' and Buck was tired. "It will be morning soon," he said. "Go back to sleep."

Hazel settled in and her breathing steadied. Buck opened his eyes and looked at her. There was once a time when he would have been glad Hazel was thinking about him. A few days ago, in fact, he was getting ready for a dance and hoping she would dance with him. He thought she liked him. He thought he could have her proudly on his arm. Being this close to Hazel Franklin would have been a beautiful dream a few days ago and now it was just a bad one. A few days ago, if she had been next to him and moving the way she was, he wouldn't have awakened her with words. He would have kissed her just the way she had been dreaming about. There was still a small part of him that wanted to kiss her senseless and prove to her that he was worth loving, but she had hurt him and he could not forgive her. No matter how cute she looked when she slept. Buck closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking about Hazel's sweet, heart shaped face with her ruby lips and apple cheeks. The sooner he got her back to Rock Creek, the sooner he could get her off of his mind for good. Buck drew a slow deep cleansing breath in and exhaled away all his troubles and concerns. He let himself drift off into a calm sleep.

* * *

Rachel was up just as the eastern sky started to paint itself with the colors of dawn. The ambers, pinks, and lavenders streaked through each other as the sun got closer to the horizon. The break in the weather couldn't have come at a better time. She heard noises down the hall and figured that Kid and Lou were also stirring. Rachel dressed quickly and made her way down to the kitchen. They would all need a hearty breakfast to get them started today. They had a lot of ground to cover and Rachel did not want to slow them down.

They all ate breakfast mostly in silence. Their minds were all on Buck and hoping he was alright. The banker's daughter had been missing now for two days and two nights and it weighed heavily on Teaspoon's mind. He hoped that somehow that girl had crossed Buck's path and that somehow they were together and alright, but that was a lot to hope for and a lot to worry about. It wouldn't be fair to Buck to have to save this girl after what she put him through. All the same, Teaspoon still hoped the two were together and safe.

Lou helped Rachel pack food and cooking supplies, while the men saddled up and packed their horses. Rachel was nervous, but she knew she was doing the right thing by coming along. Rachel looked out the window and was surprised as Cody brought Buck's horse out of the barn. She chastised herself for not thinking. Of course Buck would need his horse to get home. They were packing so much stuff that it didn't surprise Rachel that the boys had a pack mule for their supplies. They would need feed for the horses and they could carry all the extra food and sundries. Rachel even packed a bag of yarn and needles so she could knit extra scarves and mittens while Teaspoon, Lou, and the boys were out searching.

With one last look around the bunkhouse and house, the search party was off. They kept the horses close to each other. The wind was cold, but they were all bundled up. If nothing out of the ordinary got in their way, they would reach the cabin by nightfall.

* * *

**A/N: I must thank Gert for all her help with Hazel's dream. It wouldn't have been anywhere near as steamy as it was without her. Thanks, also to Beulah for her keeping her eyes on this story and helping me keep it on track. Thanks to the ladies on the plus for all the love and support and thanks to the readers for reading this story. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

There was some leftover rabbit meat from the night before. Buck warmed it up and offered some to Hazel. She wouldn't meet his eyes and that further solidified Buck's belief that Hazel had been dreaming something embarrassing and most likely involved him. There was an awkwardness to Hazel that wasn't really there before and by her fidgeting, she seemed unusually on edge. This didn't really bode well for the day. Buck was feeling short tempered himself and had the feeling this day would be even more unpleasant than usual. Hazel picking at her breakfast, but not actually eating it was starting to wear thin on him as well. There was just so much foolishness Buck could handle in one day and that wasn't much.

"Come on, you need to eat," Buck coaxed in an unsympathetic voice. "We're heading back to Rock Creek today and we need to get as far as we can before sunset."

"Thank God," Hazel said as she dusted some snow off of one of the log chairs and plopped down. She started to pick at the rabbit meat a little more vigorously.

The sun was out today and Buck could finally orient himself to the directions. The cabin was most of a day's travel north of Rock Creek and they hadn't traveled more than two hours away from the cabin, so heading south was a very safe direction to travel. Once they got close enough to an old Express trail, Buck would be able to get them home. Then he would be rid of Hazel and that was something he was looking forward to.

Buck disassembled their campfire circle and covered the shelter up well just in case they had to come back. They were finally set to leave.

"We'll keep to the woods for as long as we can," Buck said.

"Why," Hazel fretted. "The woods are kind of spooky."

"The wind isn't as bad in here and it also gives us cover from Hank and Leon," Buck explained. "Don't tell me you've forgotten them?"

"No, I didn't," Hazel said a little too quickly. "I just wish we didn't have to worry about them anymore."

"Well as long as you have something they want, they will follow us," Buck said sagely. "Come on. Let's go."

Buck led the way through the woods. He tried to pack down the snow as he walked so that Hazel would have an easier time getting through it. It was hard enough for him to walk through the snow and he really had no idea how hard it must be for Hazel to try and get through it in that dress and those shoes.

After about an hour of walking, Hazel stopped. "I need to rest," she called out.

"We don't have time to rest if we're going to make it back to Rock Creek by tomorrow," Buck said.

"The snow is so deep," Hazel complained. "How are we supposed to make any progress?"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you robbed a bank," Buck answered flatly.

"Do you have to keep bringing that up?" Hazel asked hotly.

"Yes," Buck said.

"Fine, I guess I deserve it," she said softening. "Are you going to turn me in when we get into town?"

"I haven't decided yet," Buck answered. "Are you going to return the money?"

"I haven't decided yet," Hazel parroted.

Buck wasn't sure if her tone was teasing or not. He hoped she would return the money. He didn't really care one way or the other if she confessed her crime. Ultimately, she was the one who would have to live with that knowledge. But he wasn't going to let her keep the money and he was hoping the look he was giving her now left little room for doubt about that.

"Would you give the money back if you were me?" Hazel asked.

"Yes," Buck said incredulously.

"Oh you don't fool me," Hazel said. "You come off as some well mannered boy, well I know the truth. I've heard the things Mr. Tompkins has said about you. You're as lethal and nasty as they come. He said you tortured a couple of men with poisonous snakes and spiders back in Sweetwater and the marshal there didn't do anything to you. Then there was Neville. Nobody in this town thinks that was self defense. So don't you act like you're better than me."

Buck recoiled stung by her words. All he could do was just glare at her. He didn't feel better than her. He knew what he was doing in both those cases. It was justice, justice that would never be realized unless he forced it. There wasn't any overarching justice in what Hazel had done. There were no extenuating circumstances in her situation. He did not think he was better than she was.

"Nothing to say?" Hazel taunted. "Did I get it right then?

"Let's get moving," Buck said trying not to rise to Hazel's baiting. "We've wasted enough time here."

"I need to rest," Hazel insisted.

"Fine, you rest," Buck said. "I'm moving on."

"You can't leave me here," Hazel called after him. "I'll freeze to death!"

"Good riddance!" Buck yelled back.

Hazel started to run after him. "Wait for me!" she called.

"Hurry up," Buck said. "I'm not stopping."

"Oh come on, Buck," Hazel said panting.

"Look this isn't a game out here," Buck said. "We have to keep moving. We are at least two days away from Rock Creek and we'll have to set up another camp for the night. Now move."

Buck took a decisive step forward and felt the ground shift beneath his right foot. Then came the pain. It was so intense it dropped him to the ground. He couldn't help but cry out. He tried to keep his mind sharp. What had just happened? His right leg was on fire with a searing pain. He couldn't lift it. He needed to see what happened, but all he could do was growl and try not to pass out.

* * *

Hazel jumped as Buck fell to the ground screaming. She didn't know what possessed her but she ran to him. Kneeling beside him she took his hand and tried to comfort him. She didn't know what to do. She was completely out of her element. Buck couldn't be hurt. He had to get her back to Rock Creek and protect her from Hank and Leon. Hazel could feel the tears gather in her eyes. What was she supposed to do?

"What happened?" Hazel asked as calmly as she could muster. "Where are you hurt?"

"My leg," Buck managed to groan out. He laid back into the snow and had covered his face with his free arm.

Hazel crawled up near his feet and started to clear away the snow. She gasped when she saw it. The dark metal stood out boldly in contrast to the snow. Buck's leg was caught at the ankle in a wolf trap. Hazel had only seen them before at Tompkins's store.

"Buck, your leg is caught in a metal trap," Hazel said shakily. "I don't know how to get it out."

Hazel started to tug at the contraption and Buck let out a loud cry. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know what to do, Buck…help me!"

Hazel watched Buck's eyes start to roll back in his head.

"Oh no, you have to stay awake!" Hazel cried. She moved up and grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him as his eyes closed. He didn't respond to her and she figure he must have passed out. "Come on, Buck! You need to wake up. I don't know how to get a trap off a leg. I need your help!"

Hazel let Buck drop back into the snow and stood up and starting shaking her hands. "Think, Hazel, think!" she said to herself.

She was not prepared for this. She had no idea what to do. Hazel started to pace. She couldn't drag him back to the camp. It was about an hour away and he was too heavy. They couldn't stay here. She was too far away to run for help. Buck had to wake up that was all there was too it.

Kneeling beside Buck, Hazel lightly slapped his face. "Buck? Wake up. Please! You can't leave me out here all alone."

Buck didn't move. Hazel grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him up just off the ground.

"Buck!" she yelled at him. "Please, I'll do anything if you just wake up. I'm sorry for the things I said about you being lethal."

When he still didn't stir she sweetened the pot. "I promise I'll give the money back, just please wake up."

Hazel lowered him back to the ground and thought. She would need to get him back to the shelter. It wasn't much but it had kept them safe for the last two nights. Buck would eventually wake up and in the meantime she would have to drag him. First, though, she would need to get that wretched trap off his leg.

The trap was securely fastened to Buck's ankle and Hazel wasn't sure how to get it off. She cleared some more snow from around it and looked at the mechanism. She followed all the connections to try and figure out why the trap worked. That would be the secret to figuring out how to loosen it.

"Hazel, you can do this," she said to herself as she psyched herself up. "You can be a useful human being."

The design of the trap was really quite elegant. The smooth steel jaws were clamped onto his leg snugly. The springs of the trap were long loops spread out like wings on each side. They started under the trigger plate and curled back around to the jaws. There was an eyelet on the spring that slid up the sides of the jaws to hold Buck's leg tightly. The whole trap was toggled to the ground with a large chain. If she wanted to drag Buck back to the shelter with the trap still attached she would have to unsecure it from the ground. In order to free him from the trap itself, she would have to depress the springs so they would in turn release the jaws. Hazel knelt in front of Buck and put his trapped leg in her lap. She grabbed hold of the springs on each side of the jaws and squeezed. She let out a grunt as she tried to get the springs to move. It was no use. She wasn't strong enough.

"Stand on them," Buck said almost hoarsely. "You can get leverage with your legs."

"Oh, Buck, thank God you're awake," Hazel said with tears forming in her eyes.

"Please, Hazel, I need you to get me out of this trap," Buck said weakly.

Hazel stood and thought for a second. To get the trap springs into position, she would have to bend Buck's leg so that his foot was flat on the ground. She moved Buck's leg as gently as possible. He stoically whimpered in pain as she did it.

"Ok, I think I'm ready to stand on the springs," she said warning him. She watched as Buck braced himself for the pain.

Hazel stepped onto the springs and eased her weight onto them. She felt the springs give way and looked to Buck.

"Can you move your leg out of the jaws?" she asked.

"I'm trying to," Buck said between gritted teeth.

He grunted as he tried to lift his leg and then fell back into the snow breathing heavily.

"I can't," Buck said between breaths.

Hazel lifted her skirt slightly and stopped. She looked at Buck to see if he would be able to see her legs. His eyes were closed tightly in pain and he was too busy panting to notice her. She grabbed the fabric from the back of her skirt and tucked the hem into the waistband making her skirt almost into pants. Observing the trap, Hazel figured out the next step. She grabbed Buck's leg just under the knee and slowly raised it. When it was a couple inches from the ground she halted and began to maneuver his foot to disentangle it from the span of the jaws. Buck's sharp intakes of breath told her that every move she made was hurting him so she worked as quickly as she could. Finally she slipped the trap off the toe of his boot and set his injured leg clear of the trap. She stepped off the trap and moved it to the side.

"Can you walk?" Hazel asked hopefully as she caught her breath and readjusted her skirt.

"I don't think so," Buck said. "I think my leg is broken."

* * *

**A/N: I've been in Rock Creek, NE with Alfie, Hortense, and Pearl since Thursday. We are having a fabulous time, but wifi has been a distinct challenge. **

**Poor Buck! I know, I am so mean to him leaving him like this with Miss Facepalm. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Hazel sat and thought while Buck calmed himself. They were doomed. Tears started to gather in her eyes as she looked around at the place where she would surely die.

"Hazel," Buck said softly through the pain.

She didn't respond. She just let her lip quiver as she thought of the things she would never get to do.

"Hazel," Buck repeated in normal speaking volume.

She would never see her mother or father again. She could never apologize to her father for all the trouble she had caused and all the trouble he didn't know was her fault. She blinked her tears from her eyes and made no attempt to wipe them from her face.

"Hazel," Buck grunted a bit louder.

She let out a soft sob. She was never going to get married or ever feel the love of a man. She would never have children of her own. Never have a house to keep or a family to take care of. She had ruined it all. She did it.

"Hazel!" Buck growled loudly. "Look at me!"

She looked over and saw the anger and hurt she had caused. Buck wouldn't be in this situation if it hadn't been for her. He wouldn't have come out to the cabin if she hadn't tricked him and humiliated him at the dance. He wouldn't be out in the snow if she hadn't robbed the bank and expelled him from the cabin. They wouldn't be out in the snow right here right now if she hadn't needed to be rescued. She was an awful person.

"Hazel, I need your help," Buck said calmly.

"What's the use, Buck?" Hazel asked dramatically. "We're going to die out here."

"Hazel, we only die if we give up," Buck said angrily. "We're not giving up."

"I'm an awful person, Buck," Hazel sobbed. "I don't deserve to be saved."

"What about me?" Buck asked. "Am I an awful person?"

"No," Hazel answered between teary breaths.

"Then get up and help me," Buck growled. "I'm not dying out here! Now suck up your self pity and help me to my feet."

Hazel stood up in shock. She really didn't know how Buck did that. Every time she thought all was lost he yelled at her and she felt like she was being silly and stupid. Maybe she was.

"I thought you said you couldn't walk," Hazel said.

"I can't without help," Buck replied. "Now get over here."

Hazel went over to his side and tried to help Buck to his feet. They got him off the ground a little ways and Buck started to growl in pain again. "Set me down, set me down," he said panting.

"You see?" Hazel asked after she set him back in the snow. "It is hopeless. We're gonna die."

"Hazel," Buck said calmly. He was handling her. She hated it when people had to handle her. "We are not going to die. We're going to get back to the shelter. It's not that far away. We can do this. I know you can do this. You got that trap off my leg."

"But…"

"No 'buts,' Hazel," Buck said encouragingly. "We can do this together."

Hazel swallowed hard and nodded. She wanted to be better. She wanted to live. "What do I do?" she asked.

Buck propped himself up on his elbows. "I need two straight, small, but sturdy branches," he said. "I think if we splint my leg it won't hurt as much when we are moving back to the shelter."

Hazel looked around and found a few suitable choices. She let Buck make the final decision. Hazel was resisting the urge to stare off into the distance when she noticed Buck looking at her again.

"What?" she asked.

"I need something to tie the splint to my leg," Buck said carefully. "The easiest thing is going to be some strips of fabric from your petticoat."

Hazel looked down at the hem of her dress and then into the painful pleading in Buck's eyes. She bit her bottom lip and made a decision. Hazel swiped her hair out of her face, which was suddenly full of determination, and put out her hand. Buck handed her his knife and looked at her in disbelief as she turned from him, lifted her skirt, and used the knife to cut a notch in the fabric of her petticoat.

* * *

He wasn't sure he should trust the change in Hazel yet, but the new found determination in her face gave Buck hope they might still make it back to Rock Creek alive. She ripped her petticoat without fear of impropriety which he found refreshing.

Buck helped as Hazel carefully, but securely bound the wood to his leg. The splint didn't do much for the pain he was feeling, but it helped him feel more confident about getting back to the shelter. His broken leg would still need to be set, but getting back to the shelter was all Buck could think of right now. He knew there was much more to worry about, but he could think of food or fire yet. They had shelter and water. That would get them by if they could just get there.

Hazel tried helping Buck to his feet once more. It was painful but he thought he might be able to lean on her and hobble for a while. It was important to get back to the shelter as quickly as they could, but right now he would just settle for getting there. Buck was beginning to feel impressed with Hazel's effort on his behalf. He just reminded himself that it was ultimately self serving. She was doing this to save her own life not his. As soon as they were safe, and she didn't need him, she would turn on him again. Buck was fairly certain of that.

After a couple of tentative steps forward, Buck sat back down in the snow. It hurt too much and Hazel wasn't strong enough to hold him up. "This isn't going to work," he said panting.

Hazel looked down at the pained look on Buck's face and looked back at the distance they had already traveled. "I could drag you if you push off with your good leg while I pull," Hazel suggested. "I know we'll move pretty slow, but at least we'll be moving."

Buck couldn't really argue with that. A quick inhale through his nose and he knew that more snow was coming. They would need to get a move on it before they lost their own trail. "Ok let's try it," he said clenching his teeth in pain. "We need to get back to the shelter."

Hazel took up a position behind Buck and grabbed him under his arms. Buck drew his good leg up to his chest. She pulled him back while he pushed off on his leg. Hazel fell backwards into the snowbank. She was not prepared for the force of Buck's push. She started to laugh at the ridiculousness of their attempt. Buck started to laugh too.

"Ok, let's try this again," he said between her fits of laughter. It took a few tries to get a rhythm going and several times Hazel fell backwards as she pulled Buck and he accidentally fell on top of her. Before long, they had figured out the crazy choreography of getting them both back to the shelter safely.

It was almost three hours later when they arrived at the shelter. Buck's leg was throbbing with pain and he knew he needed to get the bone set before long or his leg could heal wrong.

"I am just exhausted," Hazel declared while heading for the debris hut. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Wait!" Buck said annoyed. "I still need your help."

Hazel slumped her shoulders and looked like she was trying not to cry. Buck could see she was exhausted and while most of the time he would sympathize, now was not one of those times.

"Please," he said, "I need you to help me just a little more and then we can both rest."

"What do I need to do?" Hazel asked wearily. "I don't want to hurt you more."

Buck flashed her a relieved smile. "I need some bark from that willow tree we passed about twenty feet back and then we need to set my leg. It isn't quite straight."

Hazel's eyes were as big as saucers at the request. She was frightened.

"Just start with the bark," Buck said handing her his knife. "Shave off some bark and get me a sturdy stick to bite down on."

Hazel took Buck's knife in her shaky hand and went off to the willow tree. She was back in a few minutes with more bark and sticks than they would need. "Okay, now what?" Hazel asked.

"I need you to build a small fire," Buck said, "to make tea."

"To make tea? To make tea!" Hazel protested hysterically. "We get back to the shelter and you want to make tea?"

"The tea is medicine for the pain," Buck said. "I don't think I'll be able to rest without it. So I need you to light a fire so I can make some tea."

"But we don't have any matches," Hazel protested further. "How on earth am I supposed to light a fire without matches? I don't even know how to use a flint and steel, but we don't have one of them anyway."

Buck closed his eyes trying not to let the shrillness of Hazel's voice add to the pain in his leg. "There's a fireboard and a spindle inside the debris hut," he explained. "Please get those."

Hazel rifled around in the opening of the debris hut and came back with the requested items. In the meantime, Buck had found some kindling around their camp and prepared their fire pit to be ready to light.

"Okay, I'm going to have to talk you through this," Buck said as he took some milkweed fluff and other tinder he had saved from the last time he built a fire. "Put this underneath the fireboard."

Hazel took the wad of fluff from him and put it down on a dry part of the ground near the fire pit. She gently placed the fireboard on top of it and then looked to Buck for the next set of instructions.

"Now, put your left foot on the edge of the fireboard to hold it securely in place," Buck instructed and Hazel complied putting the ball of her foot on the short edge on the far side of the rectangular board. "Then crouch to you knee over the board and…"

Buck stopped talking as Hazel lowered herself down to a crouch over the fireboard. The skirt of her dress covered the entire thing. "And then what?" she asked.

Buck tried to be as gentle as he could. The last thing he wanted was to hear her shrill voice complain about the impropriety of him seeing her leg. "Hazel, you're going to need to hike your skirt up in order to make this work, I'm sorry," he said.

Hazel looked down and saw the problem. She blushed as she smiled. She gingerly lifted her skirt a few inches. "Is that enough?" she asked hopefully.

Buck looked at her and tried to smile, but he was miserable. "I don't think that will work. I think you'll need to raise the edge over your knee to keep it out of the way," he said.

Hazel's jaw dropped. "But, you'll see my bloomers," Hazel said abhorred. "And who knows what else. What would my mother say?"

"I'm sorry," Buck repeated. "If there were any other way…"

"No," Hazel said gathering her courage. "This is all my fault and I have to make up for all the trouble I've caused." Hazel grabbed a couple of fists full of her skirt and raised the hem over her knee.

Buck tried not to look too closely, but the shape of her leg was really quite pleasing. Buck swallowed and looked up at Hazel's face. "Alright, now set the spindle in one of the notches and place your open hands on each side of the spindle."

"Like this?" Hazel asked as she set the spindle in a notch and positioned her hands.

"Yes, just like that," Buck answered. "Now roll the spindle between your hands. You'll need to keep the force downward and the speed fast."

"Like this?" Hazel asked again.

Buck observed her motions and shook his head. "Not exactly," he said gently. "You need more downward force. The friction between the spindle and the cutout in the notch creates sawdust. The friction will also keep it hot until it makes a coal. We'll be able to light the fire off the coal."

Hazel focused her energy on the spindle. After several minutes she stopped. She looked exhausted and her brow had a slight sheen of sweat across it. "I can't do it, it's too hard," she said frustrated. "I'm sorry. I'm hopeless."

"Hazel," Buck said trying to be encouraging. "You almost had it. Just a couple of more minutes and we'll have a crackling fire."

"I'm just exhausted, Buck," Hazel said as her eyes started to fill with tears. "I can't do it. Maybe if my arm was in better shape, it would make a difference." Hazel put her hand over the wound on her arm. It almost seemed like the gunshot had happened in another lifetime, but with the movement required of the hand drill, her wound had to have felt fresh once more.

Buck looked at the defeat in her eyes and remembered that she was injured too. "Maybe we can do it together," he suggested. "I might be able to work the spindle if you keep holding the fireboard down."

Buck started to scoot himself over to the fire pit. "Can you move one of those small logs we used for sitting over here?" he asked indicating a spot right in front of where Hazel had set up the fireboard.

Hazel helped get Buck into position. Buck sat with his legs out in front of him and on either side of Hazel. Hazel held the fireboard with her foot and moved her skirts out of the way.

"Okay, here goes," Buck said as he started working the spindle back and forth. The effort was painful for him as he tried not to put any pressure on his injured leg.

After a few minutes of trying Buck stopped and picked up the tinder bundle and gently blew on it until it burst into flames. He tossed the flaming bundling into a small pyramid of kindling and debris and soon he and Hazel had a small fire burning. Hazel found the small hollowed out log that Buck had fashioned into a bowl and put a large handful of snow inside and placed it near the fire to melt.

"I guess we should see to setting your leg now," Hazel volunteered hesitantly. "I should warn ya, though; I've never really been good at doctoring."

Buck smiled through the pain. "I've never been a very good patient," he said honestly. "I'm not used to being sick or hurt."

"So what do I do?" Hazel asked fearfully. "I mean we should probably do this now, right?"

Buck looked at her and took a deep cleansing breath. "Yes, we should," he said. "First, let's get the splint off my leg so we can set the bone. Just set everything to the side as you remove it. We'll need it again after the leg is set."

Hazel untied all the strips of fabric that held the small firm branches next to his injured leg. "Okay, what's next?" she asked.

"Get a good hold on my foot and gently pull it straight out," Buck instructed. "It's going to hurt me, but don't worry about that. It will hurt me more later if we don't do it."

Buck put one of the small sticks Hazel had brought back from the willow tree into his mouth and bit down. Hazel started to pull on his leg but stopped when Buck screamed.

"That was almost it," Buck said between growls after he took the stick from his mouth. "Let's try it one more time this time don't stop until I tell you.

Hazel nodded quickly and drew in a deep breath. "Ready?" she asked.

Buck nodded and bit down on the stick once more. Hazel started to pull again on his leg and the pain flooded Buck's every sense. His eyes started to lose focus but he tried to keep his mind on the task. Buck felt the bone slip back into place. The pain hit him like a burst of light and he felt himself fall backward.

"Is it set?" Hazel asked in near hysterics. "Can I put the splint back on?"

"Yes," Buck said as the world darkened around him.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I must thank my faithful Beulah who continues to help me through this story. I value your help more than you will ever know! Thanks to the ladies on the plus for all the love and encouragement. Last week this time I was in the real Rock Creek with old friends I finally met! I can't wait until next year! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Hazel re-tied the splint around Buck's injured leg. She thought it best to take advantage of his unconsciousness while she could. As long as he was out, she wouldn't hurt him any further. She could still hear his cries of pain in her head. They were a constant reminder of what she caused. She had so much to make up for, but Hazel didn't think she was in a position to make up for much out in the wilderness. She had no skills and they had little by way of equipment. Buck's knife was the only tool they had between them and the thought of using it, frightened Hazel. She shook the whole time she used it to gather the bark for Buck's tea.

The snow in the wooden bowl had melted and was starting to steam. Hazel didn't know how much of the willow bark to add so she nudged Buck a few times to wake him. She needed to wake him anyway as they couldn't stay out in the elements for very much longer. The temperature was starting to fall and Hazel couldn't drag Buck into the shelter. She would need his help to get him inside.

Hazel took in the sight of Buck Cross as he slept. It was almost a pity she had to wake him. He looked so comfortable and if she were being honest with herself, handsome. Yes, she thought Buck was handsome. Hazel groaned and covered her eyes with her hands. This couldn't be real. Sure she dreamed of him taking her, but that was a silly dream brought on by exhaustion and the delirium of sleep. She was awake now and in control of her desires and feelings. Hazel remembered the way Buck used to look at her in town before the dance. He admired her from afar. She knew he did. He didn't look at her like that anymore though. She had ruined it. Hazel thought she caught a glimpse of that same look today while she was trying to start a fire. She knew he was looking at her lower leg. She thought he found it pleasing.

'Oh this is stupid,' Hazel chastised to herself. 'I do not have feelings for Buck Cross.'

She tried to put him out of her mind. Hazel looked around at the camp and shelter. She couldn't live like this. She wasn't outdoorsy at all and well...Buck wasn't a proper suitor for a woman like her anyway. Her mother would be scandalized. Her father probably wouldn't mind given the reaction he had to her prank the night of the dance, but her mother would disown her. It was all moot anyhow. Buck had no interest in her anymore and never would again. Not after she robbed the bank. There was no redeeming herself in his eyes. She would be foolish to try. All she could do now was to try to stay alive and keep Buck alive too -just like he had done for her.

A small moan shook Hazel from her thoughts. She looked over and Buck's eyes were beginning to flutter open. She let out a sigh of relief. Buck would know what to do next.

"Buck?" Hazel ventured to say. "Wake up. I need you to tell me how much bark goes in the tea."

Hazel saw Buck's eyes open and she smiled in relief. "How much bark goes in the water?" she asked as he began to focus.

Buck sat up and took a look at the bark, picked up some pieces, and handed them to Hazel. "I think this should do it," he said.

Hazel dutifully put the bark in the bowl to steep and waited until Buck was ready to drink it. "Is your leg feeling better?" she asked making small talk.

Buck nodded. "It still hurts like hell, but the willow bark should help with that," he said.

Hazel hated the awkwardness between them, but there really wasn't anything to be done. Buck was never going to be her friend. They were out here in the wilderness because they were trying to survive. As soon as they got back to town, Buck would probably never speak to her again.

"I should teach you how to set a simple snare," Buck said.

"A snare?" Hazel asked. "For what?"

"To catch us some dinner," Buck answered. "I can't do it, so you're gonna have to."

"I can't kill a bunny," Hazel whined. "They're too cute."

"Then we're gonna starve."

"But now that your leg is set, can't you do all that stuff?" Hazel asked.

"My leg is set, but I'm far from healed," Buck said annoyed. "You have to take on a little bit more. I can still cook and skin whatever you catch and do other things close by, but I'll need your help with the rest."

Hazel made a disgusted face. "I'm not capable of such...such..." she said searching for a defense.

"Usefulness?" Buck supplied sarcastically.

Hazel opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Who was she kidding? Buck was absolutely right. She was pretty useless out here. She sat quietly trying not to cry and trying to figure out what to do next. She wanted to be defiant or anything that would let her save face, but she was not sure it would even work anymore. It would just make Buck more hostile toward her and even though she was fighting it, she didn't want him to hate her.

Buck grabbed some sticks and pulled out his knife and started carving notches in the sticks. "I'm sorry," Buck said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're right," Hazel said. "I am not helping anything. You would be snug in that cabin if it hadn't been for me. Hell, you'd have been snug in the Express station bunkhouse if it wasn't for me."

Buck didn't argue with her and Hazel felt even worse. "Teach me to set the snare."

Hazel was full of resolve and Buck almost looked surprised to her. He set up the sticks to resemble the number 'four'. "Find something heavy to brace up against the top," Buck instructed. "When the critter takes the bait off this stick, all the sticks will fall and the weight will drop. You shouldn't have to kill anything if you find a heavy enough rock or log. It will already be dead when you go to check the snare in the morning."

Hazel practiced a few times putting the snare together while Buck carved another set. After several tries to assemble the snare with Buck's coaching, she felt ready. She looked at the sky. The sun was starting to become heavy in the west. "I should get going so I can find my way back here," she said. "Do you need anything before I go?

"Why don't you pass that bowl over here," he said as Hazel got up to leave. "I think the tea is ready."

Hazel picked the bowl up and handed it to him. "Will you be ok while I'm gone?" she asked concerned.

Buck gave her a look that Hazel took to mean he would be better off without her and she frowned. She had a lot to make up for. She looked at the sticks in her hands and hoped she would be up to the task. She'd never done anything like this before and she kind of hoped that she would never have to again.

Hazel tromped off into the woods looking for the animal trails Buck had described to her. He said they would look like normal paths in the woods that people would use. She couldn't recognize anything of the sort. Buck made it sound like it would be easy and she admitted it did sound easy. She was coming up empty so Hazel decided to look for large heavy rocks instead. She would need those to make these little sticks do what Buck said they would.

Finally finding what she thought would be a heavy enough rock, Hazel pulled the bundle of sticks from her pocket. She looked at them and tried to remember how they went together. It was easier when there were just three sticks, but now there were six. She tried all sorts of combinations but couldn't seem to get any of them to work. Hazel tossed the sticks to the side out of frustration. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh why am I never paying attention to the right things?" Hazel asked the empty woods. "This is why nobody likes me. I'm not as smart as the other people my age. They all love to trick me into doing things that either embarrass me or hurt someone else. They always make it seem like my idea. But they don't really like me. Hazel is always good for a laugh!"

Hazel plopped down on a downed log and thought about the people she counted as friends. It seemed her friendships were always conditional upon doing other people favors. It wasn't her idea to toss paint and feathers on Buck at the dance, but Mason threatened not to be her friend anymore if she didn't do it. He didn't even give her a chance to react before he threatened her. In the end she agreed, because well, Buck wasn't a socially acceptable friend to have anyways. She didn't think she would be losing anything by being mean to him. But now Buck was a real person to her, one with feelings. Hazel couldn't think of a single one of her 'friends' that would have helped her out of this mess she'd made. Everyone one of them would have fled and let her fend for herself. Hazel knew this to be true. Even Mason would have ditched her. Buck didn't leave her. Buck saved her from herself and those bad men. He had so many opportunities to turn her out and he didn't. Hazel felt so mixed up. Her mother always told her that appearances mattered. That the company one kept was how others judged the worthiness of people. Hazel was always trying to associate with the right people and Buck was not the right people. Nobody except those Express riders thought that Buck was the right people.

Standing up, Hazel started to pace a bit. None of this made any sense. Was it better to have one good friend that was socially unacceptable or a bunch of fake friends that were? Are appearances really that important? Mother always said so, but perhaps she had been deceived.

It was too late for her and Buck to be friends. She had made sure of that when the first droplets of paint hit his suit jacket. The look of betrayal on his face was too great. She sealed it when she robbed the bank and he ended up being a hostage. She could never make up for either of those things. In fact, it was only a matter of time before he extracted his revenge. She'd seen it in her circle of 'friends' before, so she knew it was coming. When one of them was wronged or slighted, especially Mason, revenge was extracted. Buck would do the same. If what Mr. Tompkins said was true, his revenge would be swift and cruel. It was the way of the world as far as she knew. She would have to be on her guard and most importantly, she would have to stop having romantic feelings about Buck. It would only serve to hurt her in the end.

Hazel sat back down on the downed log and looked at the sticks strewn around her. She really needed to get the snares set and get back to the camp. After staring at the sticks for a few minutes, she started to notice things about them. A couple of the sticks had notched in the same place and we about the same size. Another couple of sticks had the same pointed end. The last pair had similar notches and angled ends. Hazel felt a relieved smile cross her mouth. Perhaps she could still do this. In the past she would be tempted to just run back to the camp and lie that she had set the snares and blame back luck when she would go back to check them in the morning. She was very hungry and didn't have that option. She had to think things through for once in her life.

Arranging the sticks into like pairs Hazel quickly figured out that taking one from each pile would make one snare. It took her a few tries to get it to stay together, but once she figured it out, she put some bait on the stick and set the snare. Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved along to try and find another suitable rock or log for a deadfall. Hazel looked up at the sky. She had better hurry. The sun was starting to set and she would need the light to see by to get back to camp.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I must thank Beulah again for her attention to this story and her help sorting out the finer details! You are marvelous! Thanks to the ladies on google plus for all the companionship, love, and support. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"The cabin is just on the other side of those trees," Teaspoon announced as he stopped his horse.

"Good, I'm frozen solid," Rachel said in response. "But, Teaspoon, why are we stopping?"

"Something don't feel right," Teaspoon answered pointing to a thin wisp of smoke from the chimney. "Cody, Jimmy, why don't you go around back. "Kid, you and I will take the front. Lou you and Rachel stay here with the horses."

Lou opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when she saw the look of fear on Rachel's face. "Be careful, Kid," she said instead.

Teaspoon and the boys all dismounted and started to take their positions around the cabin. Jimmy and Cody took out their pistols and circled around to the back of the cabin while Kid and Teaspoon crept up to the door. Opening the door a crack, he could see some soft light coming from the coals in the fireplace, but there didn't seem to be anyone inside. Teaspoon gently pushed the open as Jimmy and Cody came around from each side. The creak of the door unnerved him almost as much as the state of the cabin. It was empty except for some broken furniture and some familiar looking debris.

"Kid, go get Lou and Rachel," Teaspoon said as he picked up a broken chair leg. It looked like it was recently demolished. "Cody, check out that lean to stable over there next to that oak tree. Jimmy, you're with me."

"Buck was definitely here," Jimmy said picking a familiar purple striped shirt and saddlebags. "It looks like someone went through his stuff looking for something."

"Probably food and gunpowder," Teaspoon remarked further studying the scene. There had definitely been a struggle in this cabin.

"That don't tell us where Buck is now," Jimmy remarked.

"No, it don't," Teaspoon lamented.

"Teaspoon!" Cody called as he walked into the cabin. "I found Buck's saddle, he was here."

Jimmy held up Buck's shirt in response and Cody's expression became more concerned.

"I don't like it," Teaspoon said. "We knew he didn't have a horse, but it don't look like he has anything but the clothes on his back. We can only hope he still has his knife and gun wherever he is."

Jimmy started to put Buck's things back into his saddle bags and took a mental note of what was likely missing.

Rachel and Lou walked inside with some bedrolls and supplies with Kid trailing along after them with his arms full as well.

"Boys, let's let Rachel and Lou get things set up here," Teaspoon said. "Kid you and Cody have a look around while we still have light out. See if you can find any tracks or anything at all that can tell us where Buck might have gone. Jimmy, you and I will finish seeing to the horses and bringing in the rest of the supplies."

Cody and Kid started to survey the area, but they were quickly losing the light. Kid walked over to a tree after noticing a slight variation in color on the trunk. He rubbed the area and revealed a bullet hole in the tree. He found another a bit lower down. Turning around to the other side of the tree he saw what he thought might be dried or frozen blood.

"Cody, come here and look at this," Kid requested.

Cody came over and Kid showed him what he had found. "Well that don't look good," he said.

"I figure it's only a couple of days old at the most," Kid surmised.

"We better tell Teaspoon," Cody said. "We should get back to the cabin now."

Rachel had made a quick meal of beans and biscuits for supper. Everyone was tired and worried especially after Teaspoon announced that Buck was most likely involved in a fight in the room. He offered up the newly broken piece of furniture as evidence. The mood further darkened as Kid and Cody revealed the blood they had found. The company reluctantly retired to their bedrolls which were scattered over the floor while Rachel took the lone bed in the cabin. A watch was set up. Cody would take the first watch, Jimmy the second, and Kid the third. Even with the added protection, they were all on their guard. None of them knew if the previous occupants were set to come back or if they moved on for good. They would need to be vigilant.

* * *

Buck napped by the fire. His leg still hurt, but not as much as before. The willow bark tea was doing its job. The fire was starting to die out a little so Buck put another couple of sticks to bolster the flames. The sun had almost set and the sky was starting to get dark. He looked up hoping to see the first stars of the night. What he found instead was clouds moving in. Buck briefly worried about Hazel. She was still out setting snares. She should have been back by now. She was such a foolish girl. Buck rolled his eyes and started to gather ambition. He didn't want to have to get up and look for her, but if she didn't get back to camp soon he would be forced to. Buck decided to give her a few more minutes.

Buck couldn't help but notice the change in Hazel today. She didn't really pout or whine unreasonably and actually thought of someone besides herself. It was probably a fluke and he would be on his guard. He couldn't rely on her.

Something passed by a bush and Buck heard a few twigs snap. Instinctively grabbing his knife, he turned as Hazel walked into the camp. "I did it," she said smiling wearily. "Having twice as many sticks sort of confused me for a bit, but I figured it out."

Hazel sat down next to him and warmed herself by the fire. She looked exhausted but uncomfortable. Buck thought perhaps he was the reason she was so distressed. She yawned a few times and Buck put his arm around her to let her know everything would be fine and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Buck?" she asked letting her guard down.

"What?" Buck asked back.

"Do you think anyone is looking for us?"

Buck thought about it for a few minutes. It was likely that a posse had been formed after the bank robbery, but the storms would have kept them from really searching. Today was not a bad day. Teaspoon probably had Kid and Jimmy out looking. Buck thought about his horse too. Trickster was likely to have gone back to town. With the weather, Teaspoon was bound to be worried about him too. "Yeah," Buck said. "I think people are out looking for us."

"Will they find us here?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know," Buck answered.

"Do you think Leon and Hank are still out there?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you think they'll find us here?" Hazel asked.

"No, I don't think so," Buck answered.

"Thank you, Buck," Hazel said and yawned. "I know I don't deserve it, but thank you."

The sky was dark and Buck knew they were risking being seen with the fire still lit. "We should turn in," he said. "The fire will make it easy for us to be spotted so I've got to put it out."

"I'll take care of the fire. Do you need help getting inside the shelter?" Hazel asked.

"I think I can do it," Buck answered. "Just let me get inside first."

"Alright," Hazel agreed.

Buck managed to maneuver over to the mouth of the debris hut and slide himself in. He watched as Hazel put out the fire and crawled inside the structure all the while being careful not to jostle Buck's injured leg. There was a definite change in her behavior, but Buck wasn't sure he could trust it.

"Goodnight, Buck" Hazel said sleepily. "Wake me if you need anything."

"Goodnight, Hazel," Buck said trying not to sound as suspicious as he felt.

* * *

The morning came too soon for almost everyone in the cabin. There were so many things to get ready before Teaspoon and the boys could separate themselves into search teams. Jimmy started chopping some wood, although there was still quite a supply, while Rachel got breakfast started. Cody was seeing to the horses while Teaspoon and Kid started to make a map of the area surrounding the cabin. Lou started to stack some of the firewood Jimmy had chopped inside the house.

When they all had a breakfast plate in hand, Teaspoon started relaying the plan for the day. "Lou, I want you to stay here with Rachel," he said calmly. When Lou opened her mouth to protest Teaspoon gently explained himself. "I don't think this place is safe for Rachel on her own. I need you to stay here and protect her. Plus, these chairs could use a little bit of work." Teaspoon pointed to the broken chairs that were now lying in the corner of the cabin.

Lou looked around the room and decided it was a worthy request. "Alright, but I don't want to have to come out and rescue you boys later," she chided. Rachel could see Lou's mind working in the shifting of her eyes. Still after all this time, Lou wanted to prove herself just as capable as the others. Rachel smiled to herself and hoped that she and Lou wouldn't see any trouble. She would in all likelihood be praying for her boys out in the cold today.

"Jimmy, I want you and Cody to go west towards the hills," Teaspoon said pointing to the map he and Kid had been drawing all morning. "Kid and I will start looking in the woods to the northeast. We'll meet back here around supper time."

Jimmy, Kid, and Cody bundled themselves up and went outside to saddle up their horses. Teaspoon stayed inside to give Rachel and Lou some last minute instructions.

"Lou, you and Rachel keep the curtains closed and the door locked at all times," Teaspoon ordered. "Don't let anyone in unless it is one of us and even then, be careful."

Lou nodded while Rachel quietly handed food packs to Teaspoon.

"Be careful out there," Rachel said. "If you or the boys get cold you head on back, ya hear?"

* * *

The pain in his leg woke Buck up near dawn. The quiet of the hour gave him time to think. He really wanted to be able to get out of this alive, but he was teetering on the edge of despair. He was injured and he had no supplies. Everything was working against him. What he did have was Hazel. She was able bodied, but she wasn't knowledgeable, and he didn't trust her. One day did not change a person. Hazel was helpful for one day, that was all.

Hazel yawned beside him and fluttered her eyes open. She looked at him quizzically and seemed to jolt away from her sleepy state. "Are you alright?" she asked concerned. "Do you need some more of that tea?"

Hazel didn't even wait for Buck to answer. She scurried out of the shelter and started arranging kindling inside their fire pit. "I think you're gonna have to help me with the fire stick thing," she said looking at the hand drill feeling a little daunted. "I wish you could just sit and rest."

"It's alright," Buck said easing himself out of the shelter and onto one of their sitting logs.

Hazel positioned herself like she had the night before and Buck started a coal with the hand drill. Soon they had a nice small fire going. Hazel put some snow into the hollowed out piece of wood they had been using and put it near the fire. She let Buck measure out the willow bark when the water was ready. Hazel sat on the other log and looked at her hands in her lap.

Buck sipped at the tea, letting its potent contents glide down into his stomach. He closed his eyes after he finished the dose he thought he needed and let the medicine do its work.

"Buck, I was thinking," Hazel said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the large crumpled bank sack. She unrolled the bag and held it out "I want to turn this over to you. I made a mistake and I want to fix it. I know you work for the marshal from time to time and I want to turn myself in."

Buck blinked a few times and took the bag full of money from Hazel. He didn't know how to respond so he just looked at her surprised.

"Do you need anything before I go check those snares I set yesterday?" she asked.

Buck still couldn't speak, so he just shook his head 'no'. Hazel moved some of the firewood closer to Buck so he wouldn't have to move far to stoke the fire and then she bounced away to check the snares. He shook his head a few times and decided he made the willow bark tea a little stronger than he meant to. This was not the Hazel Franklin he was accustomed to dealing with. Buck closed his eyes again to nap while Hazel was gone. She would probably be back to her same old self when he saw her again.

* * *

**A/N: I must thank my dear Beulah for helping me through the editing of this chapter. Real life is creeping in again and it makes it hard for me to focus. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Thanks to the ladies on the plus for all the love and support :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

As Hazel cleared the clump of trees where the shelter stood, she let out a nervous squeak. She had no idea what she would find by those snares. Sure they could be empty, but then again there could be a creature caught in them too. What if it wasn't dead? What if it was angry? She had Buck's knife with her, but she didn't want to have to defend herself with it. What if whatever she caught chased her? Hazel started to pale as she thought of all the things that could go wrong.

Hazel leaned against a tree and tried to keep it together. She had to show Buck she was different than before. She could be useful and he could depend on her.

Taking a deep breath, Hazel wrapped her arms around herself and tromped off further into the woods. The sun was shining and the freshly fallen snow sparkled like diamonds. If it wasn't for the cold, and the difficulty of just pure survival, Hazel thought she might like to be out here all the time. Since escaping Hank and Leon, Hazel began to notice how free she felt for the first time in her life. Her mother was always picking at every little thing she did and how it would look to others. Buck didn't hold her to a standard of perceptions. Sure, he had her pegged as a shallow, spoiled, brat, but he didn't harp on her about how others would think of her. He just asked her to do things not be things. It was refreshing in a way she had never known and Hazel suddenly wasn't so sure she ever really wanted to go back to Rock Creek. She felt for the first time like she was making her own decisions and living her own life. She was choosing her actions based on who _she_ wanted to be not based on how others might see her or judge her.

Hazel wasn't sure when it happened, but it was important to her that Buck see her differently. She cared what he thought of her and that somehow really surprised her. She was brought up by her mother to think of Indians as bloodthirsty savages and that half-bloods were the worst of the lot. Hazel suddenly felt badly for the way not only she, but other members of the town treated Buck. He was a perfect gentleman and the way he protected her not only from those men, but from the blizzard and herself. There wasn't anything for him to gain by being nice to her. He didn't have a motive beyond being who he was.

Everything she had ever been was to please someone else whether it was her mother or Mason. Mason wasn't really a prospective husband so she wasn't sure why his opinion of her even mattered. He would never court her or marry her unless there was some gain in it for him and truthfully she didn't want to marry him anyway. He had the same look in his eye as Hank and Leon had and it always made her uncomfortable. Her mother thought Mason was perfect and kept pushing them together. Hazel knew though. Deep down, she knew that Mason would hurt her. She didn't know if it would be physical or emotional, but she could see it in his eyes that he didn't really care. She meant nothing to him.

A nice stump came into view and Hazel sat down and pondered everything she thought she knew. Tears started to form in her eyes as Hazel realized she didn't know who she was. She never had an opinion or even a thought of her very own. She was told what to wear, what to think, how to act, who to like, and who to scorn. For the first time out here in the wilderness she felt like she was in control of her life. She could think for herself. She was learning to take care of herself and she had someone to take care of. Buck needed her and she liked being needed.

Hazel stood up and dusted off her coat and skirt. She shouldn't be delving into all this emotional stuff right now. She had snares to check. Where they were was the first question she had. She couldn't remember which way she went or where she put things. She had to think. She looked down at the ground and quickly was able to see tracks in the snow. She would just follow those.

After about thirty minutes of searching, Hazel quickly became aware that there were many tracks and patches of trampled snow. Some of the tracks were made by people, but some by animals. It looked like a whole herd of deer had bounded through the same part of the woods she found herself in now. It took another half hour before Hazel came across her first snare. It had been tripped but nothing was caught in it. She felt disappointed, but also relieved. She didn't want to kill anything, but she was quite hungry. She and Buck hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and who knew now how long they would be out in the wilderness. She had to find food for them. The rabbit pelts had been nice too. They were warmer and softer than the leaves and pine needles. Hazel hated feeling conflicted. Hazel bit her lip and then reset the snare. She would just have to hope she would catch something later.

Thinking about where the other snare was in relation, Hazel turned and walked further west. She finally found the last snare and stopped short when she saw what was trapped. It looked like a giant rant and it was angry. It bared its teeth at her and hissed. Hazel's eyes opened wide and she let a high pitched whimper escape her lips. What was she supposed to do now?

Hazel gripped Buck's knife in her hand and tried to get up the courage to take on the now spitting extra large rodent caught in the snare. Every time Hazel got close, the mostly white to gray animal with a black mask over its eyes, would nip at her. The really pointy nose on the creature as well as the white coloring assured Hazel that it wasn't a raccoon. The curly rat-like tail hinted that this critter was probably an opossum. The angrier it became, the more it seemed like it was working itself free. Hazel squeaked as the opossum cleared the heavy rock and started to scurry toward her. She bolted behind a boulder as the opossum scurried up a tree. Breathing a sigh of relief she leaned against the hard surface, Hazel relaxed until she heard some new sounds. She stiffened as she heard footsteps coming her way.

"Are you sure you heard something this way, Hank?" Leon said as the two men came into view.

"Yes, I'm sure I heard that useless girl scream over here." Hank replied. "The sooner we find her, the sooner we can get our money."

"Can we leave this godforsaken place then, Hank?" Leon asked.

Hazel saw Hank nod from around the edge of the boulder. She tried not to move for fear of being discovered.

"I know you're here, Pretty Girl!" Hank yelled. "Come out wherever you are. I have a nice warm cabin all set up for you."

"Aw, she ain't here, Hank," Leon complained. "Let's go back to that cabin. It's freezing out here."

Hank looked around once more. "Alright," he said. "When I find that girl, she's gonna wish she was dead."

Hazel shivered at Hanks last works. They hung in the air and hovered over her like a dark cloud. Hazel waited several minutes before she left the area. Distracted and trembling, she soon stopped and looked around. Nothing looked familiar.

"Oh, dear," Hazel whispered. She tried not to panic, but she couldn't quite quell the fear and dread that was building in the pit of her stomach. It would be easy to give into it and blather on about how lost and scared she was. Hazel shook her head almost violently and swallowed her fear. Buck was right. This wasn't a game out here and she would have to rely and herself and not give up. Hazel smiled as an idea came to her. She would just go back the same way she came. She could find her way back it wouldn't be so bad. She just had to believe in herself.

* * *

Buck woke to a dying fire. Quickly, he put a couple more pieces of wood on to restore the flames. He looked around the campsite. Hazel was not back yet. Giving his arms a little stretch, he looked up at the clear sky. The position of the sun indicated it was just after noon. Buck's eyebrows furrowed. Hazel left to check the snares she set hours ago. The pain in his leg was strong, but dull in that he was getting used to the constant agony, but he still wasn't in any shape to be hobbling around in the woods trying to find Hazel. He would give her more time.

Looking around the campsite for something useful to do, Buck started gathering stones and straight sticks. He found a sturdy branch he thought he could fashion into a bow as well. While it wasn't likely that he would ever need to use it, he wanted to be prepared just in case they would need to spend a long time at this temporary shelter. Buck sent a silent prayer into the sky asking the spirits to guide Teaspoon and his brothers to his camp.

Surveying the pile of stones, Buck picked up a couple and started to chip away at one of the rocks with the other. It had been a long time since he had made his own arrowheads, but it felt good to be doing it now. Buck smiled. One of his intentions for coming out to the cabin was to get back in touch with nature. Hazel had accidentally accelerated his plans. He intended on doing some hunting and trapping. He intended to live off the land. He intended on having a safety net in the cabin, his horse, and his gun. Out here he had none of those things. He would need all of the skills he was taught as a member of his Kiowa tribe. He would need to draw on every bit of survival knowledge Red Bear had ever taught him. It was all slowly coming back to him. With every chip of stone he wore away he became better. He was almost finished with his first arrowhead when he heard someone coming closer.

Buck put himself in the most defensive position he could. The footfalls weren't familiar to him and he didn't want to be caught without being able to defend himself. Carefully, Buck gripped one of the larger rocks to his left and prepared to take aim.

Just as Buck drew his arm back to throw, Hazel came skittering into the campsite.

"Oh, Buck, I was so worried that I wouldn't find my way back," she said out of breath.

Buck slowly lowered his rock as Hazel spoke like a whirlwind.

"Hank and Leon almost found me and I had to run away," she said as she cozied up to the fire. "This enormous rat almost attacked me. It had the sharpest teeth I've ever seen. I didn't catch anything in the snares…well except for the rat thing. When I ran away I got lost and I just found my way back…I'm so cold."

"So, no food then?" Buck asked.

Hazel looked startled. "No, I…I'm so sorry. I didn't catch anything in the snares. In my hurry to get back, I only reset one of them."

"I think we'll be fine for tonight, but we're going to need to get something soon," Buck counseled. "I think we're going to have to rely on more than those snares. We're going to need more than food to survive out here too."

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked as she slowly rubbed her hands together over the fire. Buck could tell she was frightened. "I don't even know how to hunt and now there's more?"

"Well we are running low on tinder to start a fire," Buck explained calming Hazel down. "I would give anything for a ball of string, but I think I can find some plant fibers from trees and some of the plants around here to make some cord. I could teach you how to wind it."

"You don't think anyone is coming for us?" Hazel mumbled sadly.

"It's not that," Buck said quickly. "I don't know when anyone will find us and I don't want to be unprepared."

"Oh," Hazel said with relief in her voice. "Did you learn all this stuff from your people?"

Buck nodded skeptically. Why would Hazel be interested in that?

"It must be a difficult life," Hazel said picking up and examining the arrowhead Buck made, "having to make everything from scratch just to survive. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a general store near me."

"It can be hard," Buck said, "but everyone helps out, so it isn't so bad. We hunt animals and use the whole thing mostly for food, clothing, and tools."

Buck looked off into the distance. "I really wish I was able to go hunting," he said. "We could really use a deer or something bigger like that. We could make some tools and we would have food for days."

"I'm so sorry," Hazel said tearfully, "about your leg. It's all my fault. I'm sorry for everything. If it hadn't been for me none of this would be happening to you at all. It was so stupid of me to trick you like I did. And then to get you involved with the bank robbers like that…"

Buck opened his mouth to say something and Hazel went on. "You don't deserve to be saddled with someone like me. I didn't know how kind and generous you were and I shouldn't have ever thought that your feelings didn't matter. I know you can never forgive me, but I just want you to know that I'm going to try and make it up to you anyway. You've saved my life too many times for me to ever be able to repay and I really can't thank you enough for that. I guess the least I can do is be as useful as I can be."

Buck was speechless. He never expected Hazel to ever apologize for what she did let alone thank him for what he had done for her. He didn't know how long he could trust that she would be at all useful. So far the only thing she had managed to do was to get him back to the shelter and help start a fire. They were still without food. They had shelter, fire, and water, but they would need food to keep their energy up.

"How about I go gather some of those other things we need like tinder and what was the other thing?"

Buck smiled cautiously and explained all of the things that would be helpful and mentioned where she would likely find them. Buck dumped the stolen money into one of the bowls he had made and handed the bag to Hazel. She left and returned in about an hour loaded down with the items Buck asked for and some things he didn't. He started organizing things as she unloaded them.

Hazel turned around quickly and went out to gather some more firewood. She looked exhausted when she returned. She sat down and Buck was almost sure she would fall asleep as soon as she sat down. Hazel's eyes drooped, but then flashed open as if she suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh, I found this dead bird," Hazel said taking a small beautifully plumed hawk from her pocket. She handed it to him and was barely holding onto its leg between her thumb and index finger. "I thought maybe you could use the feathers for the arrows you're making."

Buck almost laughed when she made a disgusted face and wiped her hand off vigorously on her coat after he took the bird from her.

For the next couple of hours Buck and Hazel sat working on making supplies for their camp. Buck had taught Hazel how to wrap cordage and she was busy making lengths for all sorts of potential uses. Buck had plucked all the feathers from the hawk and placed them in a make-shift par fletch. While he was flint napping an ax head, the pain in Buck's leg became unbearable. He looked over at Hazel to ask her to put some snow on to make tea, but she had already done it and was adding some willow bark to the now steaming water.

"You looked like you were in pain," Hazel answered to Buck's unasked question.

"Thank you," Buck said.

Buck sipped at the tea until he felt sleepy. Hazel helped him inside the shelter and made sure he had a rabbit pelt to rest his head on.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much to Beulah to reading this over. This story has been so much better for you insightful comments. Thanks also to the ladies of the plus for the love and support. **

**My freelance sound design work is about to dominate my life and it will collide with my other job next week too. I will try to keep updates happening if I can. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Lou paced around the cabin. It was hard to stay behind and not be out looking with the others. She understood why she was there though. She was left behind so she would be safe just as much as she was there to protect Rachel. Lou looked over at one of the busted up chairs and remembered the danger they could all be in. If the bank robbers were still in the area, she and Rachel would look like easy targets. Lou stayed vigilant to make sure if those robbers tried to attack them, it would be the biggest mistake they ever made.

Rachel kept a pot of hot water on a grate over the fire and began to prepare a hearty stew once the sun started to sink from the sky. She and Lou hardly spoke to one another. Not for lack of interest or ill will, but from the preoccupation of their family being out in the elements. Once the stew was simmering, Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and began to knit a scarf. She had only gotten through a few rows when she pulled the yarn out several times after repeatedly dropping a stitch. She let out a sigh and looked over at Lou who smiled in sympathy. They were stuck with all the worrying and nothing short of everyone, including Buck, walking through the door was going to prevent that.

The monotony of the day was broken up by what Lou was sure was someone lurking outside. The first time a tree branch hit the side of the cabin, Lou jumped. She thought it might be one of the search parties, because neither group showed up for a resupply in the late morning, but she didn't find anyone outside when she went to look. For a time, she thought it was just the wind, but she kept crossing to the window every few minutes to make sure anyway.

Lou went to the window once more and Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little. "Why don't you sit down and grab some needles and I'll teach you to knit," she offered. "You're gonna wear a hole in the floor."

"Oh, Rachel, I don't know if I could sit still that long," Lou answered honestly.

Rachel grinned and started to clear a space on the bed for Lou to sit. "Come here," she said as she moved a ball of yarn.

Lou started to move toward the bed when she heard another noise outside. It was a bit louder than before and it didn't sound like a branch hitting the side of the cabin. Lou drew her gun and went to the door. She slowly opened it.

Lou looked outside again and there wasn't anything there. She was about to go back inside and berate herself for being easily spooked, but the fresh footprints she saw in the snow convinced her otherwise. From what Buck taught the riders about tracking she knew it wasn't any of her friends. Lou vowed to be more vigilant. It was probable that the prints were left by the very outlaws they were looking for.

Skirting the edge of the cabin, Lou started to follow the prints to make sure whoever was around was now gone. Around the last corner, Lou nearly ran right into a man she didn't recognize. She stopped short and put her gun in the man's back. In return she felt the barrel of a gun in her own.

"Drop the gun nice and slow," a harsh voice said behind her.

Lou hesitated. The last thing she needed was to get caught and put Rachel in danger. There had to be a way to get out of this. Lou let her gun drop to the ground and slowly turned to face the gun man at her back.

The sound of a couple of horses galloping toward the cabin distracted the gunman and Lou let herself move on instinct. She grabbed his gun arm and swung him into the other man, disarming him in the process. By the time Jimmy and Cody rounded the corner. Lou had picked up her own gun and had one trained on each of the men.

"Nice piece of work, Lou," Cody said as he jumped from his horse. He opened his saddle bags and pulled out a rope to tie up their prisoners. Jimmy pulled his gun and aimed it at the stronger of the men as Cody bound them.

"Now, how about you tell us your names," Jimmy said menacingly.

"I'm Leon and this here's Hank," Leon said in a shaky voice.

"Shut up, Leon," Hank warned. "We're not telling these guys anything."

"Suits me fine," Lou said with a wicked smile. "We'll just tie the two of you to that tree over yonder. There isn't room for you in the cabin anyway."

By the time Lou, Jimmy, and Cody returned from tying the men up, Rachel had finished the scarf she was working on and started a pair of mittens. Rachel was startled and stood up quickly when the door opened, but sank back onto the bed where she was sitting when the boys reported that they had captured the bank robbers.

Rachel handed both Jimmy and Cody a cup of hot coffee as they warmed themselves by the fire. Their long faces told a story of frustration.

"No luck finding Buck out there?" Lou asked.

Jimmy just stared ahead at the fire. "There were no caves and we didn't find a trace of them. I just don't know."

After downing a cup of coffee, Cody grabbed his Hawkin and walked toward the door. "I'll take guard duty," he said.

Lou watched Cody leave and then turned back to Jimmy. "I know Buck's alright though," she said. "If anyone can survive in this, it's him."

Jimmy nodded. "I hope you're right. Cody and I didn't find anything. Not a thing."

"I think those robbers know something," Lou decided. "All they need is the right incentive to talk."

Jimmy finished his coffee and stood up. "I'm going to have a little chat with our two guests," he said with a slightly sinister glare. "I have all the incentive they're ever gonna need." Jimmy placed his hands suggestively on his Colts after handing his coffee cup back to Rachel.

Lou nodded in agreement as Rachel set the cup down and went back to stirring the pot of stew on the fire.

"Be careful, Jimmy," Rachel said as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Jimmy walked with grim intention over to the tree they had tied the bank robbers to. The anger in him was reaching a boiling point, but on the outside he exuded complete control. These men were responsible for robbing the bank of Rock Creek. That put its citizens in a tight spot. These men also kidnapped the banker's daughter and she wasn't with them now. She was probably dead and he didn't want to have to tell the banker and his wife that he had failed them. Then there was Lou. These men had the drop on her. If he and Cody hadn't shown up when they did they could have hurt her very badly and it may have led them to hurt Rachel as well. But the thing that was making it hard for Jimmy to control his temper was Buck. His friend was missing and if these men did anything to him they would have him to answer to.

Cody leaned against the tree and smirked upon Jimmy's arrival. His half smile betrayed how much he was looking forward to this interrogation. Jimmy knew he wouldn't get any resistance from his friend when things turned ugly. Jimmy paced in front of the men a few times to make them nervous, he stopped, turned, and looked at Cody. "Which one is the weak one?" he asked.

Cody nodded to Leon and Jimmy smiled his most dangerous smile.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," Leon volunteered. "I don't want to die!"

"Shut up, Leon!" Hank yelled. "Don't you tell them nothin'!"

"Don't stop now, Leon," Cody said with an easy smile. He walked over and shoved the butt of his Hawkin into Hank's solar plexus. Hank let out a groan as Leon gulped in fear.

"It was all that girl's fault," Hank supplied with a weak voice. "Tell 'em Leon. Tell him about how that girl planned the whole thing."

"She lured us sure as anything," Leon said giving Hank a sidelong look. His nerves started to make him shake.

"Where is she now," Jimmy growled. He wasn't letting these men think for one second he believed them, but he needed to find that girl.

"She done runned away," Leon said. "Took the money with her and left us high and dry."

"I'm sure it was more like she escaped," Cody snickered. "But boys, we have us another problem, don't we Jimmy?"

"We sure do, Cody," Jimmy replied. "You see a friend of ours came up here the day before you robbed that bank and now he's missing. I don't suppose you two would know anything about that?"

Hank and Leon looked at one another and Hank gave Leon a warning look.

"Won't do you no good to stay silent," Jimmy warned.

"That half-breed was gone before we got here," Leon said squirming.

"Now, Leon, how did you know we were talking about Buck," Cody taunted at Leon's obvious lie. "I think you can do a little bit better than that."

"Shut up, Leon!" Hank said struggling. "We don't know nothin'. That girl tricked us into helping her rob that bank. She said her father needed her to move the money from the bank to a secure location and that she needed some muscle to protect her and the money. When we got here, she ran off with that no account half-breed. They're working together I tell ya!"

Cody turned to Jimmy and frowned. "Have you heard enough?" he asked.

"Yep," Jimmy said. "I don't think we'll get much out of them without torture."

"T-t-t-torture?" Leon stammered.

"Torture," Cody assured him.

"Don't listen to them, Leon," Hank croaked out as Cody's rifle butt connected with Hank's mid-section again. "We're telling you the truth!"

"Cody, you stay here with Leon, while me and Hank have a little talk," Jimmy suggested as he pulled Hank to his feet. Jimmy marched him to the other side of the cabin as Leon watched. Once out of view, Hank gave a terrifying scream.

"Now, Leon," Cody said with smile. "Let's hear what really happened."

"Ok, ok, ok," Leon yielded. "It was all Hank's idea. We tricked that girl and she escaped with the money and that half-breed. That's all I know. I swear!"

Cody looked intently at him trying to judge the truth.

"Please don't hurt me!" Leon said and started to cry. "We just needed the money."

"Which way did they go?" Cody asked forcefully.

"I don't know!" Leon cried. "We've been looking for them for days. They're probably dead and buried under the snow. We took the breed's stuff so we know they ain't got nothin'."

"Alright," Cody said as he turned away Leon. Hank gave another scream and Leon began to sob in earnest.

"I'm sorry!" Leon whimpered.

Cody was debating on whether or not to knock Leon out to reduce the noise when he heard horses. Immediately hopeful, he looked over to find Kid and Teaspoon heading his way. His hopes were soon dashed as he realized they were alone. Jimmy led Hank back to Leon once he heard the horses approach. He had him all the way back by the time their friends were in speaking range.

"I see you two caught yourself some bank robbers," Teaspoon said as he stopped his horse in front of Cody.

"Well Lou did, really," Cody bragged. The temptation to rattle Kid was too much for Cody and he smiled when his declaration worked. Kid's face betrayed him with all sorts of worry playing out in the contortions he put his face through. Cody smiled and gave him a bit of mercy. "She's in the cabin with Rachel safe and sound."

Kid looked immediately relieved as Jimmy hid an amused grin.

"So what did these here fellers tell you?" Teaspoon asked.

"Well this one was less than cooperative," Jimmy said pushing a pale and mumbling Hank to the ground next to Leon. "I think he's in more of a talking mood now."

"Leon told me everything he knew," Cody said with a half satisfied smile. "I just wish he could have been more helpful."

"How so?" Teaspoon asked.

"We were right that they took Miss Franklin here and ran into Buck," Cody reported. "From the sounds of it, Buck and Miss Franklin escaped with the stolen money, but they don't know where they are."

Teaspoon looked concerned. "We didn't see hide nor hair of those two out in the north part of the woods. Just animal tracks."

"We'll find 'em, Teaspoon," Cody assured him.

"Well, I have to take these two men back to town tomorrow," Teaspoon said. "That's gonna leave at least two less pairs of eyes looking for them."

Teaspoon looked into the eyes of his riders and saw his same concern echoed in their faces. The last thing he needed was for them to give in to their worry. "Come on," he said breaking the tense silence, "Rachel's probably got supper ready we can talk about what happens tomorrow over a good meal."

* * *

Although everyone appreciated Rachel's fine cooking, the mood in the cabin was quiet and contemplative. Teaspoon shifted from chasing potatoes around his plate to eating heartily. The same reaction was repeated on the plates of everyone else. Battling worry against the need to keep their energy up, was something Rachel, Teaspoon, and their Riders had too much experience with.

After dinner it was time to plan the next day's activities. While taking shifts guarding the prisoners, Teaspoon and the Riders discussed how to best split the tasks. It was decided that Teaspoon and Jimmy would ride back with the prisoners and the rest would keep looking for Buck and Miss Franklin.

A small fire in the fireplace kept the tiny cabin and a pot of coffee warm. A fire outside kept their prisoners from succumbing to the cold. The Riders split their time outside guarding their quarries and inside trying to sleep. The sleep proved fitful. Catching the robbers should have given them all comfort, but not knowing what had become of Buck and the girl had them all tossing and turning instead of getting the rest they needed.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to dear Beulah for keeping her peepers on my story and making such fabulous catches and suggestions. Thanks to all the ladies on the plus for the support. And special thanks to all the readers and reviewers. It means a lot to me that you continue to tune in. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The smell of a campfire jolted Buck awake. He searched his memory and was sure they put the fire out before they went to sleep. As he scrambled to a sitting position, he noticed Hazel was not in the shelter. He found her when he looked out onto their camp. She was tending a small fire and had already put water on for some tea.

As Buck pulled himself out of the debris hut, Hazel turned around and gave him a kind smile.

"My arm felt better today so I thought I would give the hand drill thing a try by myself," she said beaming. "It took me a few tries, but I did it."

Buck nodded and gave her a weak smile. He was not feeling especially well today.

"Buck, you don't look so good," Hazel said as she moved over to where he sat. She put a hand up to his forehead. "I guess I can't really tell if you are feverish. My hands are so cold."

"I'm alright," Buck groaned. "I'm just hungry I guess and my leg…well, I'm in a lot of pain."

"I've got some tea steeping," Hazel said worriedly. "It should be ready soon."

Buck looked around and found some stones to work with while Hazel checked the tea. He couldn't keep his concentration on what he was doing.

"Here, drink this," Hazel said handing Buck the wooden bowl. She kept looking at him with concern and it was starting to make Buck nervous.

"Don't worry," Buck said snidely, "I'll still be able to get you home. You're not going to die out here."

"That wasn't…" Hazel started, "never mind. I should get out and find us some food. You're feeling weak because you are hungry. We both are."

"I'm sorry," Buck said, "I didn't mean…"

"No, you had every right," Hazel said cutting him off. "Drink your tea. You'll feel better."

Buck sipped at the tea as Hazel picked up his knife and headed out to find food. Perhaps he was being a little hard on her. He closed his eyes and let the medicine dull his pain and offered up a small prayer that Hazel would have a successful hunt.

* * *

As soon as Hazel cleared the trees beyond the camp, she let the panic hit her. Buck did not look good. She couldn't survive out here alone and she didn't think she could find her way back to town on her own. She needed Buck and she had to be strong to help him. Looking down at the knife in her hands, she knew what she had to do, but she'd never killed a living thing before. Hopefully when she checked the snare, there would be an animal caught in it.

Hazel brought the bank bag with her as well. They were running low on tinder again and she thought she saw some milk weeds near the snare she set. She may even go over near the stream and see about some cattails. All the thoughts about supplies and food was making Hazel very hungry. Her stomach even growled in protest a few times on her way to the snare.

The bank bag was almost filled with downy fluff from the plants Hazel sought and she was nearly to her snare sight. For the first time since she left the camp, Hazel felt hopeful. As she turned the corner, her confidence abandoned her. The snare had not been tripped at all. It was still standing untouched. Tears started to gather in Hazel's eyes and a feeling of deep hopelessness settled into furthest reaches of her mind. Sinking to her knees, Hazel began to weep.

"We're going to die out here," she cried to nobody. "I've as good as killed that poor man."

Focusing in on the chain of events, Hazel could see how every choice she made affected someone else, namely Buck. It plunged her into a deep sense of despair. A week ago she probably would have shrugged off such observations or not even had them at all. Many people she knew would react the same way. Hazel didn't think she could live that way anymore. Her life was connected to everyone else in Rock Creek. She took the whole town's money. People would have to go without on Christmas because of her. She turned Buck's life upside down and now he looked like his very life was threatened. It was almost too much for Hazel to deal with, but she had too. She was the only one who could. Even as her actions set about bad things, perhaps she could use her actions to bring about good.

Hazel dried her eyes and tried to think. Crying wasn't going to help her situation at all. She needed to be strong. There had to be something she could do. There had to be some food somewhere she could find. Hazel looked around at the landscape and started to tear up again.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted to the sky. "I'm so sorry. Please! Please help me! I can't do this. I don't know what to do. I just know I can't let him die out here. Not because of me."

Hazel broke down in uncontrollable sobs. She couldn't go back to the camp without something for them to eat, but it was hopeless. There was nothing she could think of to help. They would just have to go another day without any food.

A twig snapped in the distance and Hazel heard something crash through some brush. She hiccupped as fear took a hold of her. Her imagination started to run away with thoughts of bears, wolves, and cougars. All she could think of were claws and sharp teeth. She grasped Buck's knife tighter in her hand and pulled it in front of her. She would be ready to defend herself, because even though she was discouraged by the lack of food, she was not ready to die.

Hazel's body began to tremble as the creature began to move closer. Her eyes were closed tightly and she could not coax herself into opening them. She didn't want to look into the eyes of death. Not yet. The footsteps stopped in front of her and she could feel the hot breath of the animal on her face as it let out a huff of air. Hazel could feel the gaze of the animal on her, but she was still too frightened to look at it. She was sure she would die as soon as she opened her eyes. The standoff seemed to last an eternity and finally curiosity got to Hazel. She wondered what was standing before her and why it hadn't killed her yet.

Gingerly, Hazel opened her eyes and found herself staring back at a magnificent stag. She swallowed hard as the deer locked eyes with her. She didn't dare move she almost felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Um…hello?" Hazel said meekly.

The animal didn't move it kept looking at her intently. Hazel felt the weight of Buck's knife in her hand and remembered Buck saying he wished he could hunt them a deer. Hazel swallowed deliberately and tightened her grip on the knife. She moved it slowly, but the stag didn't seem to care that she did. It just kept looking at her face.

Hazel raised the knife higher until she was level with the heart of the beast. The only thing she would need to do was to plunge the blade into the animal's chest and she would have food for days.

"I can't," she said quietly. "I can't do this."

The stag sank to its knees and lay down in front of her. It was acting like it was offering itself as a sacrifice.

"You don't understand," Hazel argued softly. "I don't deserve this. I know Buck does, but I don't…I don't understand."

Hazel's eyes widened as the stage stretched its neck out making it easier to take its life. She bit her lip and raised the knife again. Once more, she faltered, but she knew she had to gather the courage to do it. This was being handed to her. This was a gift. Hazel looked to the sky and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she whispered. She repeated a silent prayer of thanks as she closed her eyes and plunged the knife into the stag. He struggled only briefly and took one last breath.

In another time, Hazel would have completely shut down, but her task was far from over. She needed to get this animal back to their camp. That would take time. The deer was heavy and she would have to drag it.

* * *

Buck was deep in meditation while Hazel was out. It was the only thing he could reasonably do with how he was feeling. He was weakening. He knew that. It was cold and they were both losing hope of being found and even surviving. Keeping his spirits up was the only thing he could concentrate on. He let himself chant a few prayers for his and Hazel's well-being as well as the well-being of his friends who were probably out searching.

Hearing a loud crashing noise, Buck opened his eyes and saw something that surprised him. Hazel was standing at the edge of their camp. Her face looked wet with tears and despondent and her coat and skirt were flecked with large spots of blood. Her hands were covered in red.

Pulling himself upright, Buck studied Hazel as she stood there. She didn't look at him. She looked like she was trying not to break down.

"Are you alright?" Buck asked carefully.

Hazel's gaze shifted to him and she blinked a couple of tears from her eyes. "I don't understand, Buck. I just don't understand. It just walked up to me."

"What just walked up to you?" Buck asked curiously.

"A deer," Hazel said sadly, "a beautiful deer. I didn't want to hurt it and for a while I couldn't, but it kept making it easier and easier. It was like it wanted me too."

Hazel's stare became unfocused. "He just laid down right in front of me. Why'd he do it?"

Buck had heard stories, myths and legends really, of animals sacrificing themselves so people wouldn't starve. Usually, in the stories, the people were pure of heart. Pure of heart wasn't a term he would apply to Hazel, at least not a few days ago.

"You killed a deer?" Buck asked skeptically.

Hazel nodded. "I left it a few yards from here. It's so heavy and there's so much blood."

Buck shifted how he was sitting and thought about standing up. The pain in his leg reminded him that it wasn't a good idea.

"I need to get to that deer so I can help you deal with it," Buck said thinking aloud. "I can't walk on my leg yet. What I need is a crutch."

Hazel snapped out of her revelry and looked over at Buck. "I think I saw a branch that might work over by the stream this morning when I was gathering tinder. I'll go get it."

As Hazel ran off, the spark of renewed energy in her was curious to Buck. Perhaps she really meant it when she said she was going to be as useful as she could be. She had to be exhausted. After all, she hadn't eaten anything in the last day and a half either. Buck felt gratitude wash over him. Hazel had really stepped up today. She brought back food and now was getting him a crutch so he could help her. Buck could only hope this version of Hazel stayed around a while. He suspected the hunt she had been through could be profoundly life changing if she was open to it. A part of him hoped she was. A part of him really wanted to be able to forgive her completely and start over. He wanted to go back to when he stole glances at her and she smiled at him. It was, in all likelihood, an unattainable wish. He wouldn't let himself get his hopes up. Not yet anyway.

Hazel came skipping into camp a few minutes later with a sizable tree limb. Buck adjusted the top of the forked branch until it fit comfortably under his arm. The rest of it was a little long, but Buck was able to shave some wood from the end. He hobbled along following Hazel to the site she left the deer.

Upon entering the clearing, Buck couldn't believe his eyes. The deer just as majestic as Hazel said it was. He could see why she had a hard time taking its life. He would have felt the same.

Buck sat down on a downed tree and began to talk Hazel through field dressing the deer. She would need to do it before they could bring the animal into their camp. For her part, Hazel listened intently to all his instructions and reasoning. They would be spending the entire day on processing this animal.

By the middle of the afternoon, Buck and Hazel had moved back to their camp. They had meat roasting over the fire, Buck had stretched the hide out in a frame, Hazel was drying and smoking strips of meat to be eaten as jerky later. Buck was moved by the reverence and care Hazel showed for the creature that saved them while she worked. She didn't say a word all afternoon, just went on in silence.

By the time they were eating Buck wasn't comfortable anymore with how quiet Hazel was. He scooted up next to her and put his arm around her. She didn't even seem to notice.

"I was only eight the first time I killed a deer," Buck offered. "I was too young to really understand what it meant, but I was never the same afterward."

Hazel looked up at him trying not to cry again. "I saw the light leave his eyes. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment."

Buck squeezed her shoulders to comfort her and she rested her head on his. "It is part of the circle of life," he said seriously. "We honor the spirit of the deer in everything we use it for. It has given us a great gift."

"I guess I'm not feeling worthy of the gift," Hazel said sincerely. "Who am I, but a spoiled, shallow, mean spirited…"

"Shhh," Buck hushed her calmly. "The Great Spirit must have seen something different. If you felt worthy of such a gift, you would not have received it."

Hazel looked like she was pondering the information when Buck stiffened.

"What?" she whispered fearfully.

"Someone is coming."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you dear Beulah for looking over this chapter! Happy Independence Day to all my readers in the USA! Thanks to the ladies on the plus for everything.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

At dawn Cody and Kid went out and found Hank and Leon's horses. The gentle creatures seemed none the worse for wear, but some hot mash and an armful of hay wouldn't do either of them any harm. After securing the prisoners on their horses, Jimmy and Teaspoon were ready to head back to town.

"Search the south part of the woods near where that stream narrows," Teaspoon advised. "They weren't in the north part like I thought they would be and that southern part is the best place we haven't searched yet."

"We'll find 'em, Teaspoon," Kid assured him.

Teaspoon looked over at the house. "Keep an eye on Rachel, will you?" he asked. "She's putting on a brave front, but I know she's awful worried. I don't think I need to remind you boys that tomorrow is Christmas."

"A Christmas miracle is a tall order, but I think we can manage it," Cody said with a wink and a bold smile. "Now that we ain't worried about them bank robbers we don't need to be as careful with our searchin'."

"Well, it will be far from easy, Cody," Kid pointed out. "Buck is the best at hiding I've ever seen, but at least we can cover more ground."

"Now, Kid," Cody said annoyed. "Why do you always look at how we could fail? We're going to find Buck just in time for Christmas."

Teaspoon opened his mouth to say something, but decided to pass for the moment. He needed to get back to town before nightfall with these prisoners. He would just have to leave Kid and Cody to figure it out.

"That's not what I'm doing," Kid protested.

"Boys!" Teaspoon said sternly as he rolled his eyes and mounted his horse. "Just find them ok?"

Cody and Kid nodded and let the conversation drop.

"Come on, Jimmy," Teaspoon said turning to his companion, "I'll feel better when these two are behind bars."

"What are we going to tell the Franklins?" Jimmy inquired.

"What we can," Teaspoon answered. "We believe their daughter is alive and safe with Buck."

"What if she ain't?" Jimmy asked worried.

"I'm counting on Buck and these two to make sure she is," Teaspoon said looking at Kid and Cody.

With a couple of quick waves, Teaspoon and Jimmy galloped away. Kid and Cody looked over at the cabin.

"We better finish breakfast and get out there," Kid said.

"I like how you think, Kid," Cody said licking his lips.

Kid rolled his eyes. "You're always thinking with your stomach."

The two headed inside the cabin where Rachel had just finished pouring some oatmeal into several bowls. She was humming a while she worked. Kid recognized the song as a Christmas carol he'd heard in church recently.

The song always confused him because it didn't sound as joyous as others. _It Came Upon a Midnight Clear_ was a pretty song and somehow it seemed to be sad and hopeful all at once. It kind of reminded him of when Buck rode into his brother's village to save Ike. It seemed to be an experience much the same as the song, hopeful and sad. Kid hadn't realized how tough Buck was until he watched his friend struggle. Buck endured what Kid would consider torture at the hands of his former tribe, torture so harsh Kid was sure he wouldn't have been able to handle it. Somehow Buck did. He was fine, more than fine really, after the experience. It was like he had found something he was looking for when he left that village, but it also seemed like he had lost something too. Kid had to believe the same strong and tough Buck was out in cold and surviving. He and Cody would find him tomorrow, safe and sound, and bring him home to the family that loved him. He had to tell himself that. He wanted to be more hopeful and less sad.

Kid looked over at Lou, who shrugged. They both knew that Rachel wanted this Christmas to be perfect. With the Express over and the bonds holding the family together weakening, she was holding onto all of them tighter than normal. He looked over at Cody and knew he was thinking the same thing. They would make sure the family was all together on Christmas Day.

"I think we should be prepared to leave in the morning," Kid said. "I have a good feeling about today and I think we'll be celebrating Christmas by the fire in Rock Creek."

Rachel smiled warmly, but Kid could tell she wasn't confident.

Cody and Kid quickly ate their oatmeal and took a package of food each on their way out the door. They had a lot of ground to cover today and they were going to need every minute they could spare to keep their promise.

"Be careful, Kid," Lou said as the door closed.

Rachel hugged Lou from behind. "He will," she said. "They both will and they'll bring Buck back to us."

* * *

Kid was wary. He and Cody had been searching for hours. Kid was about to give up and head back to the cabin. The sun was starting to make its descent from the sky and it would set soon. They wouldn't have much light left to get back. They failed.

"We should head back to the cabin," Kid said aloud. He wished he didn't have to put voice to those words. "You hear me, Cody?"

Cody seemed distracted and Kid was sure his companion hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"Cody?" Kid said again. "I think we should head back."

"Just hold on a second, Kid," Cody said still distracted.

"You see something?" Kid asked unable to keep the hope from his voice.

"No, but I think I smell something," Cody said and took a deep inhale. "There do you smell it?"

Kid took a tentative smell of the air. It was cold and nearly froze his nose hairs, but he didn't smell anything. "No," he answered. "What do you smell?"

"Food," Cody said with a smile. "I think it is coming from the other side of that grove."

"You couldn't possible smell food from that far away," Kid questioned. "It has to be over a mile away."

"My ability to smell food has been a skill I have honed with great deliberation," Cody defended.

"Well, you better be right because if we follow your nose we're going to lose the light," Kid advised. "And if you're wrong, we won't be able to find our way back to the cabin."

"My nose is never wrong," Cody said with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" Kid said as they started their horses in the direction Cody indicated. "What's cooking?"

"Venison," Cody answered kicking his horse into a trot. "Come on, Kid."

* * *

Darkness was falling on the town of Rock Creek by the time Marshal Teaspoon Hunter and his deputy, James Butler Hickok rode into town. Lamps were just being lit around the town as its citizens started to celebrate Christmas. The church was packed with parishioners and the sound of Christmas hymns being sung could be heard over the hoofbeats of horses and the rattling of wagons. It gave the whole town an almost unearthly serenity. Teaspoon felt immediately hopeful.

After they had installed their prisoners in the jail, Jimmy handed Teaspoon a cup of coffee and the two men stood outside on the boardwalk observing the town.

"I'm sure they found them today," Jimmy said. "This beautiful night has to be a sign."

"Jimmy, are you getting sentimental on me?" Teaspoon asked with a smile.

Jimmy just smiled and took another sip of coffee.

"Oh I know that Buck is as resourceful as they come," Teaspoon said, "but I worry about all you boys when you've been away from the station. I always have."

Jimmy looked startled as he looked over at Teaspoon. "I thought just Emma and Rachel…"

"Nah, I put up a brave front, but you boys kinda growed on me," Teaspoon said. "It done broke my heart to lose Ike and Noah and I don't think I could take losing another one of you boys."

"You won't, Teaspoon," Jimmy said confidently. "Buck's alright, I can feel it."

The two men stood in silence keeping vigil over their town while drinking their coffee. The peacefulness of the night was finally broken when the Christmas Eve church service let out. Teaspoon stiffened as Mr. and Mrs. Franklin spotted them and started walking in their direction. Some other curious town members followed.

"Here we go," Teaspoon said under his breath.

Teaspoon waited until the group stood in front of them. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin," he said calmly.

"Well, Marshal?" Mr. Franklin asked near frantically. "Did you find my Hazel?"

"Mr. Franklin, we found the two men who robbed the bank and took your daughter," Teaspoon said. "They're locked up inside."

"And my daughter?" Mr. Franklin prompted.

"Well, we haven't found her yet," Teaspoon said and quickly added, "but, we believe she was rescued by my tracker, Buck. The Kid and Cody are out looking for them as we speak."

There were a few gasps among the women and the biddies started to talk in hushed tones to each other.

"Buck will see to it that she is safe," Teaspoon assured them.

"She's with that…savage…all alone?" Mrs. Franklin uttered. "She'll be ruined!"

"Now, Marietta," Mr. Franklin lightly scolded. "Buck's a good man. We've seen how he's helped this town time and again. Please, Marshal, forgive my wife."

"No need, Mr. Franklin," Teaspoon said and gave a wary look to Jimmy.

"Rudolph Edward Franklin," Marietta growled in righteous indignation. "How can you be so calm at a time like this? Your daughter, my baby, is out there with an unscrupulous half-breed. We'll never marry her off now. She would have been better off if those two outlaws in the jail would have killed her."

"Marietta, please," Mr. Franklin said turning his wife from the crowd. "Calm yourself. Hazel is still out there and needs our hopeful thoughts. You've set the whole town into a frenzy about Hazel and that boy."

"Mrs. Franklin, I assure you, Buck Cross is an honorable man," Teaspoon said seriously.

"Thank you, Marshal," Mr. Franklin said. "Come along Marietta."

Teaspoon and Jimmy watched as Mrs. Franklin broke her husband's hold on her arm. She stormed off to their house the same as she did the day before Teaspoon led Rachel and his riders up to Old Man Murphy's cabin.

* * *

Buck looked around trying to pinpoint where the intruder he heard was coming from while Hazel tried to make herself as small as possible. "Do you think it might be Hank and Leon out there?" she asked as her body shivered involuntarily.

"I don't know," Buck said. "Hand me my knife."

Hazel handed him the knife. Buck gripped the blade and made ready to throw it when whoever was outside their camp became visible.

"Get behind me," Buck suggested as crunches of snow betrayed the invader's position. He moved his arm back quickly and started to loosen his grip on the knife to release it into the air.

"Permission to enter the camp," a voice called out from beyond the trees.

"Kid is that you?" Buck asked with excited relief. He quickly regained control of the knife before it took flight and impaled his friend.

"Buck!" Kid said coming into the light of the campfire with Cody close on his heels.

Buck let out a relieved breath and looked back flashing a smile at Hazel. Letting his body relax again, he re-sheathed the knife in his boot. "Kid, Cody!" Buck said as his smile got bigger. "I'm sure glad to see you."

"Not as glad as we are to see you," Cody said looking around the makeshift camp. "I see we're just in time for dinner."

"What happened to your leg?" Kid asked as he set his saddlebags and bed roll down.

"Ahh, I stepped in a wolf trap," Buck answered.

Cody walked over to the fire and helped himself to some venison.

"How did you find us?" Hazel asked quietly.

"Cody's nose for food," Kid answered with a laugh. "I almost didn't believe him."

"He smelled the deer cooking?" Hazel asked surprised.

"Good thing too," Kid answered. "Buck, you really know how to make a camp hard to find. I don't think we would have found it without Cody's keen sense of smell."

"He just keeps saving us," Hazel muttered looking around at the deer. Buck put his arm around Hazel once more giving her a gentle squeeze.

"You won't have to worry about those bank robbers, Miss," Cody said with a mouthful of venison that he just pulled off the spit over the fire. "Teaspoon and Jimmy should be back in town with them right now."

Kid turned serious and looked over at Hazel. "I hope you've learned something through this," he said. "Buck is a stand up guy and he didn't deserve what you put him through at the dance."

Hazel paled. Of course she had momentarily forgotten that Buck's friends would be just as hard if not harder to convince than Buck was that she was sorry for what she had done. "I know and I regret that night very much," she said sincerely.

"I'm glad you do," Kid said coldly.

"Well we should pack up as much of this camp as we can tonight," Cody said as he took another bite. "We'll want to leave as soon as we can in the morning. That way we can get this little lady back to her parents in time for Christmas dinner."

"Christmas," Hazel said suddenly. "I had forgotten it was almost Christmas."

"Rachel's gonna be so relieved to see you," Kid said to Buck while ignoring Hazel. "She's been worried sick about you."

* * *

**A/N: Real life is hectic and I thank all of the readers for staying with me. I'm sure glad Kid and Cody found Buck and Hazel, aren't you? **

**I must also thank Beulah for her constant attention to this story. It is so nice to have her eyes on this. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Hazel looked around the camp and felt sad to be leaving. She didn't understand. She knew she should be happy. She was being rescued for God's sake, but she couldn't help feeling like she was leaving somewhere special. It had meant more to her than any other place she had spent time. Perhaps, it was only because she would have to face the consequences of her actions. It would embarrass her father, which a week ago was the point, but right now every decision about the dance and the bank robbery seemed like it was made by a different person. That must be what it was. Hazel had felt a shift in herself. She liked the change, but she was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep it up. She would be expected to be the same Hazel she always was. She wasn't strong.

Hazel packed the money back in the bank bag and handed it to Buck. She also stuffed a handful of willow bark in her pocket. She didn't know if Buck had any or not, but she didn't want him to be in any pain. She packed other things too. The three rabbit pelts and all the cordage she had wrapped. She would give Buck the pelts, but the cordage she would keep. It was the first thing she had made with her own hands. She watched as Buck reverently packed up the deer hide and the antlers, while Cody made sure all the jerky was packed. He even had a piece or two as he worked. Kid mostly helped Buck, but he also watched her intently as if studying her every flaw.

Kid and Cody helped Buck up onto Kid's horse and Hazel could feel the time to leave closing in on her. Everything was about to change. She already had a sort of preview on how that would be. Kid hadn't said a word to her all morning. It was almost as if she didn't exist. Cody was far nicer, but Hazel figured that was only because he didn't bear witness to how she treated Buck at the Holiday Dance. Kid was there, he saw what she had done. Truthfully, Hazel was more fearful of Kid's wife. Hell hath no fury like that woman or someone she was close to, scorned. Kid was just a taste of what it would be like.

"Miss Franklin?" Cody asked to get her attention. "We should be heading out now."

Hazel looked over and Cody was sitting atop his horse with his hand extended down. She gingerly took his hand and he swung her up behind him and they set out for the cabin on their way back to town.

* * *

Buck watched Hazel as they rode for the cabin. She had been unusually quiet since Kid and Cody showed up last night. Buck found himself worried about her. Honestly, that surprised him. Throughout the first few days they sparred and spat, but later they seemed to come to an understanding and then something in Hazel changed. She wasn't the same girl that lured him to the livery stable to humiliate him. She wasn't the same girl that carelessly put him in danger. She was now someone who gave thought to the consequences of her actions. She was now a person who was aware of the needs of others. In fact, he saw her put willow bark in her pocket. He had forgotten to grab some for himself. She was looking out for him. A week ago he would never have thought it possible.

Buck wondered if Rock Creek had changed also. He was glad the bank robbers had been caught and he was glad that Hazel was going back to her family, but he still had his own concerns. He had left Rock Creek a week ago to escape the people of that town. He didn't have a chance to resolve anything and now he was hurt. He could stay at the cabin, but it with his injury it would be almost foolish to try especially when he had a family that would help him through his healing. He would go back to town and Rachel would have the whole family around for Christmas. It was what she wanted. Buck couldn't help wonder what it was exactly that he wanted now. The cabin had proven too close to the town after all if he really wanted to be away from it.

That was the question. Did he want to leave? He had been happy when Kid and Cody walked into his camp last night, excited really. His thoughts were not clear. Was it just because of the situation or did he miss his family? Certainly, he was attached to the riders, Teaspoon, and Rachel, but he'd only been gone a week. That really wasn't sufficient time to know if he missed them.

The pain in his leg really prevented him from further exploring his thoughts. Kid was keeping Katy's gait steady and smooth, but he was still being bounced around a lot. The willow bark in Hazel's pocket reassured him that his pain was only temporary. With any luck, Rachel would have some water on the fire. He thought he could make it home on horseback. A travois would just slow them down. He knew how important the holiday was to Rachel.

* * *

Rachel startled herself awake. She didn't mean to fall asleep. The adrenalin was making her shaky but she stood up anyway and tried to calm herself. Looking around the room, she could tell that Kid and Cody never made it back last night. She tried not to panic. One rider lost out in the cold was almost more than she could bear, but three seemed impossible. Rachel looked over at Lou and put her hand to her mouth to stop the sounds of the cries she knew she would make. How would Lou take it when she learned her husband, Kid, had not returned during the night?

Pulling her shawl closer around her, Rachel looked over at the fireplace. The fire was out and a chill was starting to get a foothold in the room. Rachel arranged some logs in the fireplace and lit a match. Soon, she had a nice fire going. She looked around the room and decided to get breakfast started.

"I'll get some snow for coffee," Lou offered as she yawned.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Rachel said hiding her startle at Lou's words.

"Oh, no," Lou said shrugging off Rachel's guilt. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Me either," Rachel said gazing out the window.

"Don't worry about them, Rachel," Lou advised. "There are two possible reasons why Kid and Cody didn't come back to the cabin last night. One is that they're dead, which they're not, and the other is that they found Buck."

With a shift of her eyebrows, Lou left very little doubt which reason she believed. "I expect the lot of them will be around soon, so we'd better get everything ready."

Rachel smiled. "I hope you're right."

"I am."

After putting on the kettle of melting snow, Lou start started to pack up her bed roll and other nonessentials around the room to prove her confidence that they would all be going home today. Rachel drifted over to frost covered window to the east and looked out with hope and worry. She was about to look away when something caught her eye coming through the trees.

"Speak of the devil," Rachel said as she heard the whinny of a horse. Lou came over to the window just in time to see Kid and Cody riding toward the cabin with Buck and Miss Franklin.

"Oh, no! It looks like Buck is hurt," Rachel said grabbing her skirts and rushing to the door. Lou turned and followed after her. Letting the things she was packing fall to the floor.

Rachel and Lou were outside ready to meet the horses by the time they arrived. Kid and Cody both helped Buck inside the cabin while Rachel followed quickly behind. Lou took care of the horses and Hazel stood out of the way.

* * *

Hazel gingerly walked into the cabin. She tried not to shudder. It was a very different place now than when she'd last been there. Buck was lying on the bed with Rachel hovering over him and checking his injuries. Hazel felt so useless and out of place. When Lou came back inside the cabin she brushed past Hazel without even an 'excuse me' when she bumped her out of the way. Hazel looked around the room as Buck's friends gathered around him. She saw a kettle on the fire and some cups nearby. She was relieved to see no one had added coffee to the water. She found a thick towel and poured a cup of hot water and added some willow bark from her pocket. She knew Buck was in pain from the ride and she had a way to relieve it.

When the tea was ready, she carefully walked over to the bed staying out of everyone's way. She handed the cup off to Rachel because she couldn't get any closer. "It's willow bark tea for the pain," she said quietly. As soon as Rachel took it from her she retreated to an area of the cabin where she wouldn't be in anyone's way.

Hazel sat next to the fireplace and made eye contact with Buck a couple of times. He nodded a 'thank you' at her for the tea, but he was largely distracted by his friends. His friends showering him with attention made Hazel happy. He deserved to be worried about and cared for. That was one thing that she had learned over the week she spent with Buck. He was genuinely kind and caring. He didn't do it out of a need for anything. He was that way because it was the right thing to do.

Hazel couldn't help being envious of Buck's friends. She didn't have one relationship that was like the ones these people shared. Her friendships were based on nothing more than looks or getting ahead in the world. They had nothing to do with feelings of love and affection.

"Miss Franklin?" Rachel said as she sat next to Hazel. "Buck said you were wounded when you escaped those robbers?"

Rachel's presence startled Hazel. "I...um…yes, I guess so," Hazel said tripping over her words. "It was nothing, just a scratch."

"Best let me look at it," Rachel said as she started to undo Hazel's coat.

Hazel caught her hand and quickly buttoned her coat back up to her neck. "Really, I'm fine, Mrs. Dunne," she said. "I don't need to be looked after."

Rachel looked at her with concern, but Hazel just looked away. She didn't want anyone to see the ruin her dress was in. She, herself didn't want to acknowledge what almost happened to her. She'd been hiding the torn bodice of her dress from herself and Buck for a week and she'd nearly forgot the shame she felt. It was her fault. Everything was her fault. If those men had succeeded in what they meant to do, she wouldn't have anyone but herself to blame for that either.

The look on Rachel's face nearly made Hazel cry. Somehow Rachel knew. Hazel could see it in her eyes.

"Kid, Cody," Rachel said. "Why don't you go out and get the horses ready for the ride home."

When they had left Rachel turned her attention back to Hazel. "It's alright, sweetheart," she said. "The boys are gone and Buck can't see anything from where he is. Let me have a look at that arm of yours."

Hazel hesitantly unbuttoned her coat and slid her arm out. She saw Rachel take note of the condition of her dress. There was no blame in her eyes, just concern.

"Buck saved me," Hazel explained quietly. "If it weren't for him…"

Rachel smiled softly. "He's a good man," she said as she checked her wound on Hazel's arm.

"Yes, he is," Hazel replied looking over at the bunk where Buck was still lying. Saying those words out loud didn't seem to surprise her as much as she thought they would. "I'm so sorry I didn't realize it before."

Rachel seemed to ignore her last comment and looked over Hazel's wound. When she was done, she quickly changed the dressing. "There, no signs of infection. It is healing really well."

"Thank you," Hazel said and started to button up her coat.

Just as she buttoned the top button the door to the cabin opened and Kid and Cody walked in.

"We got the horses ready," Cody announced. "There's only one problem. We don't have a horse for Miss Franklin."

"I suppose we could use one of the pack animals," Kid suggested, "but we don't have a saddle."

"She can ride with me," Buck said groggily. "Miss Franklin doesn't ride bareback, and besides I probably shouldn't ride alone anyhow."

Buck's words surprised Hazel very much. She thought he would be glad to be rid of her by now. As she looked around the room it seemed to Hazel that she wasn't the only one to raise her eyebrows at Buck's offer. Lou and Kid exchanged a wary look between them, but it didn't go unnoticed by Hazel.

"I guess that settles it," Cody said while grabbing more packs from the cabin. "We should head out soon if we want to get back to Rock Creek before dark."

Hazel watched Rachel and the riders button their coats up to their chins. She smiled at the seemingly random patches of colored yarn poking out as brand new scarves and mittens. Hazel was touched when Rachel presented her with a pair of mittens of her own. Looking at the tattered gloves on her hands, Hazel welcomed the warmth the woolen mittens would provide.

After Kid and Cody got Buck settled on his horse, Cody gave Hazel a leg up. She was careful not to jostle Buck's injured leg as she adjusted her weight in the saddle behind him.

The trip back to Rock Creek was long and mostly uneventful. There were a couple of times that Hazel steadied Buck on the horse when he swayed a little too much. The others spoke mostly to each other and didn't talk to her much. Kid and Lou spoke in hushed tones from time to time and gave Hazel the occasional glare. It made her uncomfortable, but she might as well get used to it. She knew the former Pony Express riders were a tight knit group. Even if Buck eventually forgave her, she knew the rest of them wouldn't. Perhaps it wouldn't matter. It wasn't like she was going to be picnicking with them after Sunday church services every week or inviting them over for tea. They moved in very different circles and it would remain so. She would go back to her friends and activities and they would all go back to theirs.

* * *

Buck was as comfortable as he could be on the ride home. The willow bark had eventually worn off and he had let the pain get to him a few times, but Hazel had been there to catch him each time he swayed in the saddle. The closer they all got to town, the more Buck thought about the future. Would Hazel revert to her old self once she was among her friends or would she continue to be a little more aware of how her actions affected people? Would they keep talking? Would Hazel continue her metamorphosis into a decent human being? Was it his responsibility to hold her accountable if she didn't? So many questions...it almost made his head spin a little. Of course that may just have been the pain in his leg.

Figuring what he knew of Hazel, she would probably never speak to him again once they reached town. She had prospects and Buck guessed that she wouldn't let him stand in the way of her future. He wouldn't seek her out for his part. There wasn't really a gain in it for him either. The incident at the dance was still too fresh a wound and once in town he wouldn't need her help. He had his own friends to help him. Still it Buck felt a little unhappy about things just going back to the way they were. He thought for a minute, that he might actually miss who Hazel had become.

Hazel let out a happy squeal when they could finally see the town from their horses. The lamplighters were out lighting lamps and Buck could see people hanging pine boughs around the town to decorate it. Rachel and Lou stopped at the station with the pack horses while Buck, Cody, and Kid proceeded to Teaspoon's office. Hazel's family would probably be waiting for her there.

Buck was not wrong. By the time he, Kid, and Cody had ridden their horses up to the jailhouse, Teaspoon, Jimmy, and the Franklins were standing on the boardwalk ready to meet them. Cody jumped down from his horse and helped Hazel down from Buck's horse. Buck found the faces of her parents curious. Her father seemed happy while her mother seemed anything but.

"Sweetheart," Mr. Franklin said. "I'm so glad you are safe."

Mr. Franklin embraced Hazel then held her out to look on her. "I was so worried. We thought the worst when those bank robbers took you."

Hazel didn't speak. Buck thought she looked like she was feeling overcome by either guilt or emotion.

Buck handed the bank bag to Cody who handed it to Teaspoon.

"This here is all the stolen money from the bank," Teaspoon said as he handed the bag to Mr. Franklin.

"Hazel, managed to grab it when we escaped," Buck said. "You would have been proud of her."

At Buck's words, Mrs. Franklin let out an exasperated sigh. She marched over and grabbed Hazel by the arm. "Come on, Hazel dear," she growled. "You've spent enough time with this riff-raff."

Buck saw Hazel scowl at her mother and pull away. She walked up to him. "Thank you, Buck," she said, "for saving my life. I'll be forever in your debt."

At Hazel's words, Mrs. Franklin completely lost her temper. "He shouldn't have bothered saving you," she spat. "He ruined you all the same. How are you supposed to marry a good man now that you've spent nearly a week in the company of this heathen savage? We'll have to up your dowry before anyone would dare think of marrying you."

"Marietta, please," Mr. Franklin said quietly putting his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Let's go home and be thankful for Hazel's return. It is a blessing."

"A blessing?" Mrs. Franklin questioned incredulously. "I've said before a blessing would have been if those robbers had murdered her. It would have saved the family honor. We wouldn't have to walk around this small town with a cloud of shame hanging over us."

Hazel stopped and looked around. Buck couldn't remove the stunned look on his face before she'd seen it and he could see his same look mirrored on Cody, Kid, Jimmy, and Teaspoon's faces. Did Mrs. Franklin just wish her own daughter dead because she was in his company?

Mrs. Franklin stomped off to her house leaving Hazel alone shaking in the street.

"Pay no attention to your mother, Sweetheart," Mr. Franklin said putting a comforting arm around his daughter. "You know how she can burst into hysterics at any moment. She doesn't really mean a thing she just said."

Hazel nodded and let her father lead them both home. "Merry Christmas, Marshal and thank you," he said over his shoulder.

Teaspoon nodded and Buck felt conflicted. Perhaps he could make sense of this experience in the morning.

"Boys," Teaspoon said to break the silence, "Rachel is waiting. Let's go celebrate the holiday and Buck's safe return."

Buck turned his horse along with Kid and Cody and headed for the station. He looked back at Hazel several times until she disappeared into her home. He was happy to be home, but could not help being concerned for her. The two of them had been through a lot out in the wilderness and Buck was sure his return was met with more love and caring than Hazel's.

* * *

**A/N: Real life has become so busy that I haven't had much time to write or edit stuff. Thank you for sticking with me! I must thank Beulah for staying with this story too. Her insights and suggestions are so helpful especially when I feel stressed. Thank you ladies of the plus! I know I haven't been around much, but I'm hoping I will be more often.**


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